Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This is one of the issues we debated when the Minister was conceiving this scheme. No part of the Minister's answer resolves the issue that a pregnant worker would have, for example, if she falls ill, takes her sick leave and clocks up more or and more of the leave for which she is eligible, with consequences further down the line. It is a genuine concern. I hope the Minister will take account of this in the annual review because it is important to get it right.

The Minister referred to the critical illness protocol a number of times as it would relate to a pregnant woman, and he mentioned the issue of two weeks hospitalisation as against two days hospitalisation. In the course of the debate, I specifically raised the issue with the Minister of postnatal depression because that would probably be the significant after-birth illness that would afflict many women, whereas it might not necessarily involve hospitalisation at all, much less for two days. Again in regard to the critical illness protocol, Deputy Daly mentioned somebody being hospitalised for pre-eclampsia. While that would not be regarded as a critical condition, it would be routinely screened for.

I can understand how women workers of child bearing age would have real concerns in this area. It is critical it gets a very specific focus when the Minister reviews this in March.

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