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

In the annual reports and the requirements we set regarding the gender pay gap it would be interesting to include the proportion of employees, male and female, who are opting for flexible work and make that information visible within organisations.

Professor Galligan touched on the politics of the referendum on maternity leave for Teachtaí Dála and how that works, as well as the point about social media. I introduced a Bill to change the Constitution to remove the barrier requiring Members to be here in person and to make provision for the Houses of the Oireachtas, under their rules, to set the circumstances under which a Member could apply for a period of leave. It anticipates that this could be maternity or paternity leave because there are men in the House who have had babies recently. The Bill would allow Members to vote remotely for a period in order to be available at home. Other circumstances we could anticipate include somebody going through cancer treatment who is immunosuppressed and wants to continue doing the job but cannot be in the crowded environment of Dáil Eireann and further future emergencies similar to the pandemic, for example. The Government supports the Bill. I ask our guests to give their views on that and the politics of having that conversation. I worry about this proposal being perceived as a day off for politicians or making life easier for politicians. How do we reconcile that because I worry about it? People are concerned about making sure the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, can do this. It is worth teasing out the issue now.