Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for her contribution and for her positive comments on my team. In the first instance, this is a right that will be set down in primary legislation. It is not the case that there will be any adjudication of a woman's right to go on maternity leave. That is very clear under the law. It will be specifically prescribed, under the legislation, that an officeholder will step into the shoes of an employee and will have the same rights as an employee in the specific area of maternity leave. I hope that is a fairly black-and-white issue.

Second, we want to widen the scope significantly under the regulations. Indeed, we have done do over the past number of months in terms of supporting councillors in what they can claim through their vouched scheme, like our colleagues in the Seanad and the Dáil, which is 100% transparent and out in the open and of which a certain percentage is audited every year.

That scheme will cover, with 100% accuracy and clarity, the invoices of a woman who is employing someone or working with someone as a temporary measure. I do not see any concerns in that regard. Culture is a bigger challenge, as the Senator has alluded to. That is probably the biggest challenge when women make up 24% of councillors. This is especially stark in rural areas. I was down at the ploughing match yesterday and I had a look at See Her Elected's map of the country. Outside of the cities, the lack of female representation is very acute. That is where we have a lot of work to do. In some local authorities around the county, there are only one or two female councillors. Cultural change is the bigger thing. It is hard to institute a redress mechanism for that. We are going to be very clear that this will be a primary legislative right for women. It will be triggered upon a woman going on maternity leave. She will have the 26 weeks and the option of an additional 16.