Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 6 July 2016

Select Committee on Justice and Equality

Paternity Leave and Benefit Bill 2016: Committee Stage

9:00 am

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

In page 8, to delete line 4 and substitute the following:“ “sole male adopter” has the same meaning as it has in the Act of 1995 and includes, for the purposes of this Act, a person who would be a sole male adopter but for the fact that he is not an employee;”.

We are discussing amendments Nos. 1 and 19 together. They relate to the definition of "sole male adopter" for the purposes of paternity leave, a matter which is dealt with in section 2, and paternity benefit which we are introducing and a matter which is dealt with in section 31. We are amending the definition to ensure self-employed fathers are covered in the Bill. Specifically, the change relates to the definition of "sole male adopter" in the Adoptive Leave Act 1995. We are expanding the definition for the purposes of the Bill to include self-employed sole male adopters. This was always the intention and the two amendments resolve a technical issue to ensure the Bill will do what was and is intended. They provide clarification that self-employed male adopters will receive paternity benefit in the same way as women receive maternity benefit.

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