Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)

I move amendment No. 11:

In page 6, to delete lines 11 to 15 and substitute the following:

""(aa) 2 separate periods or a continuous period on the basis of one or two days per week until the 14 weeks entitlement is exhausted,

(ab) employees (or their representatives) shall have the right to request more flexible Parental Leave arrangements than those provided under the Parental Leave Acts 1998 and 2006, whereby employers shall be obliged to give serious consideration to such requests and whereby refusal of such a request shall only be permitted where the employer has demonstrated a compelling business case why he or she cannot assent to the request,",".

The report of the maternity leave working group recommended that paternity leave be dealt with as part of the Paternal Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004. That was some considerable time ago and yet paternity leave has not been facilitated. That is most unfortunate because we will now have to wait some considerable time for that issue to be dealt with. It would have been dealt with adequately in amendment No. 1 had that been accepted, or could be dealt with under amendment No. 19.

As regards paternity leave, Spain has provided two days, France two weeks and Norway four weeks. Even in Northern Ireland, under the old imperialist warmonger, Mrs Thatcher, and her successors, they have two weeks. This State is the worst in Europe in this regard. It is most unfortunate that this opportunity was not taken to deal with this important and essential issue.

I make the case in amendment No. 11 that there is a need for increased flexibility. I go along with same arguments made by Deputies English and Lynch in respect of amendment No. 9, which referred to increased flexibility. This amendment offers significant flexibility to both employers and employees. If the entitlement to paid leave is to be of any value, especially to low-paid parents, then there must be flexibility. The majority of low-paid workers simply cannot afford to take big chunks of leave as provided for in the Bill.

The essence of what I propose will facilitate current practice among some good employers. I know people who are permitted by employers to take their leave on a one day per week basis. They work four days and take one day off per week because they simply cannot afford to take two weeks off work, with mortgages and all types of other costs to be met. At least they are getting some degree of benefit and this is already happening among progressive employers. I am asking the Minister of State to provide for that in this Bill by accepting this amendment. Incidentally, the position advanced in this amendment is strongly supported by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU.

Should we as politicians have representatives from all the social partners with us when we come to contest the next general election in the year ahead so that they can canvass or advocate their respective positions? I find it unacceptable that they are the people, outside the House, controlling the legislation.

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