David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This has been a very interesting debate. Deputy Róisín Shortall commenced by stating the Government paid scant attention to the issue of family leave. However, that claim does not stand up because the Government brought forward the Paternity Leave and Benefit Act which provided for extra leave from 1 October 2017 in respect of premature babies, the programme for Government contains a commitment to expanding paid leave in the first year and Ireland is taking part in negotiations at working group level on the EU proposal for a work-life balance directive which proposes the introduction of 18 weeks paid paternal leave. That is all ongoing and much work is being done in that regard.

I agree with Deputy Catherine Murphy that there is a payback when parents are supported to spend time with their children, in particular during the first crucial and formative years. That is important, which is why the Government is committed to expanding paid leave in the first year.

As I stated in my earlier contribution, the Bill could be enhanced through a consultative process with the main stakeholders. That is very important and it would give people an opportunity to have an input into the legislation.

Deputy Jim O'Callaghan spoke about the immediacy of life in opposition and Bills having to be produced straightaway and brought forward. I do not agree with him fully in that regard. If heads of Bills are produced and sent to committees which then have an opportunity to invite stakeholders to make submissions and come and engage with Senators and Deputies, the debate improves enormously. When a Bill is finally published and brought before the House, far more will have been learned and there will have been much input by citizens and stakeholders which can only improve it.

Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire addressed the issue of maternity leave for politicians. I raised that issue at the most recent meeting of the working group on the national strategy for women and girls 2017 to 2020 and it was debated and discussed. Other groups are also looking at the issue and I agree that it should be considered. We should try to make progress in that regard.

On the issue of money Bills and the Opposition not being able to bring Bills forward, I was on the other side of the House for 14 years and appreciate how frustrating that issue can be. However, it is a constitutional issue, by which we are all bound. The Oireachtas cannot change that rule; rather, a referendum would be required to so do because taxation can only be raised by the Government, which is the reason for the rule.

As I said in my earlier contribution, this is important and significant legislation and this is a very important debate. It is welcome that Deputies Catherine Murphy and Róisín Shortall brought the Bill forward. I again point to the significant increase in the child care budget, as referenced by Deputy Willie Penrose and others. It has gone up by an unprecedented 80%. From September 2018, all children will be eligible for two years of free pre-school education, which is important. There is a non-means-tested universal subsidy of up to €1,040 per year for children under the age of three years. The affordable child care scheme is to be radically redesigned. Members are aware that A Programme for a Partnership Government includes a commitment to increase paid parental leave during the first year of a child's life. To answer Deputy Jim O'Callaghan's question, the working group was established in January and asked to report by April. There will be no delay in that regard.

The European Commission is working on a proposal for a new work-life balance directive, of which we must be cognisant. The directive will recognise that the provision of paid parental leave will be more effective and appropriate in encouraging fathers to share the caring role for their children and thus contribute to the promotion of gender equality. It is part of a package of measures at EU level. I agree that we must support families and promote the objective of gender equality. The empowerment of women is a key theme running through A Programme for a Partnership Government. In that regard, I again draw attention to the national strategy for women and girls 2017 to 2020 and invite Members to study its contents.

It sets out actions specifically aimed at supporting parents.

We have some concerns about this Bill. As Deputy Penrose agreed, extending unpaid family leave would make it more likely that the lower paid of the two parents, often the mother, would end up taking the unpaid leave and this would actually exacerbate the potential for caring responsibilities to be seen by employers as the responsibility of mothers rather than fathers. This is something we want to get over, right across the way, if we can. If two people, a young man and a young woman, go for a job interview we want to be in the situation where the employer, all things being equal, would not be thinking of the woman as the one who would need to take a long maternity leave and therefore pick the man over the woman. We want to change that. We also want to have more women on corporate boards at decision making level. This is all part of the thinking here.

I look forward to the committee discussing this issue, debating it, looking for submissions from stakeholders, weighing those submissions and maybe then inviting people in to discuss and debate the whole area at the committee. It would be a very useful exercise. As I said earlier, I have done this on many occasions when I was the Chairman of the last committee. It is extremely worthwhile. Our focus is now on introducing parental leave on a paid basis. I agree with Deputy Shortall that we need more data.

I thank the Deputies for bringing this Bill forward and the opportunity to discuss it and debate it. We will not oppose the legislation. I look forward to the whole area being debated and discussed, developed and fleshed out, as we move forward.

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