Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The special annual leave credit that Mr. Bell describes is an issue if we look back on this and ask who was in what type of situation and what arrangements they had to make. It is a very different thing looking after a two year old, an eight year old or a 13 year old in terms of the presence and commitment that is needed. Without the data on how many were parents, the different stages of the child and whether it is early or middle childhood, and without being able to assess how much they needed to step away from work to provide care to their own children, as opposed to childcare, it is very difficult to assess the practicalities of how that leave credit might be applied appropriately and fairly, and in a way that recognises the different experiences people have had. The role of the data is crucial and it is crucial we get a sense of what people have in their own lives and the different changes they needed to make.