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

I move amendment No. 26:

In page 11, line 22, to delete “20 weeks’ ” and substitute “2 weeks’ ”.

Amendments Nos. 26 and 28 amend the maximum penalty that the Workplace Relations Commission or the Labour Court may award for an employer's breach of the obligations under the Bill to two weeks' remuneration. This is to bring it into line with the protections afforded to other types of leave, where the level of penalty is approximately in line with the duration of the leave concerned. In considering these amendments, I thought it particularly notable that the amount of leave set out in the Paternity Leave and Benefit Act 2016 is two weeks, and the penalty for non-compliance is two weeks' remuneration. As the amount of sick leave intended to be provided for under this Bill will rise to two weeks over the next few years, it seems appropriate and proportionate that the level of penalty be set at that two weeks' remuneration.