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

The Deputies have made a fair point. The ambition was to deter people. We might have gone too far with the 20 weeks, but I take the point that setting it at two weeks might be too low. We will reflect on this matter to see if we can get the balance right. We ended up on two weeks after tracking penalties in other legislation. This period is approximately in line with what the offer was. We are committed to a maximum of ten days of leave, which is two weeks. Even though it will take four years to get to two weeks, I accept the point that some employers might decide that the risk is worth taking. I will consider this matter and revert to members. We believed that 20 weeks was probably excessive and not in line with the magnitude of the offence. The intention is to reduce that. I will take members' comments on board and re-examine the matter with my officials and the Tánaiste.