Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I support the Bill and I commend Deputies Shortall and Catherine Murphy and the Social Democrats on bringing it forward.

Ba mhaith liom cuidiú leis an reachtaíocht luachmhar seo, a thabharfadh cuid mhaith solúbthacht do theaghlaigh agus a chuirfeadh níos mó roghanna ar fáil dóibh. Ba chóir go dtiocfadh sé chun cinn in éineacht le tuilleadh íocaíochtaí leasa shóisialaigh chun cúnamh a thabhairt do theaghlaigh agus do thuismitheoirí. Fiú gan na híocaíochtaí breise sin - ní féidir le lucht an Fhreasúra an méid sin a dhéanamh - tá luach sa Bhille seo.

Sinn Féin has long advocated extending parental leave and parental benefit and has included that in its alternative budgets. There are a number of elements in the proposal before us. The Government says it will not oppose the legislation, which is welcome, but its commentary has been to the effect that the priority is to increase paid parental leave. I welcome that. Clearly, it is not in the gift of the Social Democrats Deputies or any Opposition Deputies to introduce a Bill in respect of that matter, particularly as it would give rise to a charge on the Exchequer. I have always believed that rule does not make sense. It should at least be an option for Deputies to bring such a Bill to Second Stage and perhaps at later Stages there would be some logic to the Government. However, it causes restrictions in terms of both legislation and amendments and blocks Bills of that nature from the Opposition.

The provisions in the Bill extend parental leave from 18 weeks of unpaid leave per child up to the age of eight to 26 weeks or six months. The State is already doing the bare minimum in this regard.

A period of 18 weeks is required by EU legislation and it is high time the provision in Ireland was revisited and expanded. There is flexibility within that arrangement and the leave can be taken all at once or in blocks of a minimum of six weeks. There is further flexibility where there is agreement with an employer, which is of benefit. However, there is no doubt that the extra weeks of leave proposed in the Bill would be of enormous benefit to parents. The proposal will not suit everyone and many parents may not make use of it. However, it would make an enormous difference for many parents on occasions such as a child's school holidays or if a parent wished to spend more time with his or her children in their formative years and might be of benefit in cases where parents had a child with a lengthy illness and compassionate leave did not apply or hd been exhausted, as well as many other sets of circumstances. In that regard, this legislation is very valuable.

Sinn Féin has stated for some time that we must go much much further on this issue. In Ireland one is entitled to 60 weeks of maternity and parental leave combined, whereas the EU average is 97.8 weeks, according to a journal article written by a representative of the Social Democrats. There is a clear and substantial disparity in that regard. We need to move towards it being possible to share parental leave and parental benefit and their being more substantial. As a first step, the alternative budgets brought forward by Sinn Féin in recent years proposed extending the period of maternity benefit by two weeks and increasing the rate by approximately €40. Studies show that the presence of parents during the first year of their children’s lives is vital to their development.

Although entitled to parental leave, many mothers still believe they have no option but to return to work early. Ireland ranks poorly on the issue of maternity pay, being 32nd out of 34 OECD states in that regard as of the end of 2016. Unpaid leave for mothers or fathers is welcome, but if one cannot afford not to work which is the reality for many families who may be under pressure to pay a mortgage or rent and so on, that is a difficulty. The rate of maternity benefit in the period in question is too low for many. Caithfimid déileáil freisin leis na rátaí agus an méid airgid a fhaigheann daoine. Tá sé an-dheacair do chuid mhaith teaghlaigh, fiú leis an mbriseach ón obair, a gcuid billí, morgáistí, cíosanna agus gach rud eile a íoc.

Although it is important to address the issue of parental leave, there is also a need for the period during which parental benefit is payable to be extended and the rate increased. The period of unpaid leave should be lengthened to match European norms in that regard. Ultimately, there is a need to develop a block of paid parental leave and parental benefit which could be divided between parents as they choose. The division of the leave and benefit would be entirely the decision of parents. That model would suit families and be appropriate for the world in which we live. Parents need choice, flexibility and a lengthier period of paid leave at a better rate and which could be supplemented by further unpaid leave, as required. That is the model recommended by Sinn Féin.

A related issue which has arisen recently is that of maternity leave and benefit for elected representatives. The Minister of State is familiar with Councillor Danielle Twomey, a Sinn Féin representative for an area close to his constituency, who has drawn attention to the issue, for which I commend her. The matter needs to be addressed. Progress has been made on the representation of women in the Seanad and the Dáil, in particular, on the basis of the gender quota legislation which I commend. We must now consider how we can further increase female participation in national politics and local government. Gender quotas should be considered in respect of local government elections. However, as well as getting women onto the ballot paper, we must tackle the cultural issues that prevent them from taking on positions in local authorities and the Oireachtas. One such issue is that it is not currently possible to avail of maternity leave or maternity benefit if one is a Deputy, a Senator or a councillor. That issue should be addressed by the Government and I hope it will consider doing so.

I support the Bill which is very progressive legislation. I hope the Government will fully engage on it as it progresses through the pre-legislative scrutiny stage and on Committee Stage. I am sure the Minister of State will ensure the required money message will be forthcoming to ensure the Bill can be enacted.

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