Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)

Does the Minister of State accept that Ireland is among those member states with the lowest number of days' leave and that countries which are highly successful economically, such as Austria and Finland, have considerably more day's leave than Ireland? Has he considered the impact of our paucity of paid public holidays in the context of the initiative that he and the Tánaiste have taken in balancing work and family life? The Tánaiste made a clear expression on the public record that such a balance is key to a prosperous, balanced future for our country. Does the Minister of State, therefore, accept that the entire focus cannot be placed on matters such as economic growth and number crunching, particularly if people's physical, family and social well-being will be negatively impacted upon? In that context, would he not consider increasing, at least by one, the number of paid public holidays in this country to bring us closer in line with the average, which is two days more than in Ireland, throughout the EU?

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