Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Section 13D(1) closely follows the existing provisions of the Parental Leave Act 1998. It tries to cover the wide scope of employment types that exist and any other relevant grounds for postponement that may arise that have not been provided for in the section. The directive is clear that there is a need to balance the needs of workers with those of employers in relation to flexible working arrangements for caring purposes. The Bill provides that where a request is postponed, the employer must give reasons in writing as set out in the directive and recourse to the employee where that has not happened. I do not believe this section should be deleted.