Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)

Yesterday, when the Select Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights was dealing with the Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill, the Minister said that the updating of that legislation would depend on the outcome of the centralised bargaining process currently under way. Given that the aforementioned legislation came about as a result of the last centralised pay agreement four years ago, does the Minister of State envisage updating the legislation next year or in four years' time? This is particularly relevant considering we are talking about 14 weeks, while other countries provide for up to three years parental leave. What is the Minister of State's estimate on the timeframe in respect of ensuring that the critical years of a child's life are spent with parents who are not as harassed as many are currently?

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