Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 9:

In page 8, line 22, to delete “12 years” and substitute “18 years”.

The three amendments in the group deal with the definition of a child in the Bill. The Government has proposed that flexible working arrangements to care for one's child can only be made up to the age of 12 years, or 16 years in the case of a child with a disability or a long-term illness. I am not sure about the origins of these arbitrary age limits but the reality is that parents will have to care for their adolescent children and I propose that the law recognise that.