Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am conscious I was not there for the Second Stage discussion in the Dáil. I thank the Chair for facilitating this legislation quite quickly and for his work on the pre-legislative scrutiny of this legislation. I apologise for the slight delay at the start of the meeting. I am very pleased to have the opportunity to discuss the Sick Leave Bill 2022 with the committee today. It will ensure that for the first time in Ireland all employees will have a statutory entitlement to paid sick leave if they are unable to work due to illness or injury.

The pandemic exposed the vulnerable position of many people, especially in the private sector, when it comes to missing work due to illness. Our view, which I think is shared by the majority of the committee, is that workers should not feel they have to go to work when sick because they will lose all of their income otherwise. It is not just bad for them, it is bad for public health, as sick workers might infect colleagues, clients and customers and be more likely to make a mistake, injure themselves or do harm to others as well.

As a starting point, this scheme will cover the three waiting days before eligibility for illness benefit from the State kicks in. As we know, illness benefit can last up to two years. Where an employee has an extended period of illness, this scheme will operate seamlessly with the existing illness benefit scheme and system. Once employees have exhausted their entitlement to paid sick leave from their employers, they will move on to illness benefit paid by the State, provided they have made adequate PRSI contributions.

The length of coverage will increase over time and eventually provide for an entitlement to ten working days or two weeks annually in the fourth year of the scheme's operation.

Events of the last two years have shown how necessary this legislation is. While it represents a new expense for some businesses, and we understand the pressure that will put on them, it is common across Europe that employers cover a portion of sick leave costs. We have taken care to ensure that costs are not excessive. That is why there is a four-year lead-in period with this legislation.

Some have said that they think the Bill goes too far, and others argue that it does not go far enough. We believe, in general, that we have got the balance right with the legislation we are proposing here.

Ultimately this Bill means that workers will not have to attend work while sick through economic necessity. This will be one of the positive legacies to emerge from the pandemic. While Deputies might differ on the approach, we are all agreed that this legislation is the right thing to do and the sooner we can implement it, the better.

I thank Deputies for their contributions on the Bill at the earlier Stage and I look forward to our discussion here this morning.