Vol. 526 No. 1
147 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he is considering an extension of the current maternity leave provisions; if he will also consider a reform of the leave provisions currently in place for adoptive parents; his views on the introduction of paid paternity leave; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24936/00]
I have no plans at present to review the Adoptive Leave Act, 1995. A review of maternity protection legislation is currently being undertaken by my Department. In accordance with a commitment in the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, a working group, comprising relevant Departments and agencies and the social partners, has been set up to carry out the review. The first meeting of the group took place on 14 April 2000 and there have been ten meetings to date. The next meeting of the group is to take place on 27 November 2000 and it is hoped to finalise the work of the group shortly after that date.
