Dáil debates

Thursday, 31 May 2018

Maternity Protection (Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas) Bill 2018: Second Stage [Private Members]

 

6:55 pm

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

I thank the speakers who contributed to the discussion. We are all agreed that there is a palpable need to make our Parliament a more family-friendly working environment. There is an onus on us all as legislators and policymakers to put measures in place that will encourage more women into public life. I am here 21 years now. The previous election saw the highest number of women ever in the Dáil, as 35 women were elected to the Dáil in 2016. I can definitely say that the whole narrative here has improved dramatically since then. I have been saying that publicly and privately since the election. I have noticed it. I will not elaborate beyond that but it is much broader.

I heard recently about a senior businessman who was anxious to ensure that he had strong representation of women on his board because he really needed to know what half his customers were thinking. That was an economic argument. The perspective of half the population was quite important to him in his business. I am trying to encourage corporates to have more women at board, senior management and decision-making levels.

The sponsors of the Bill have carried out a very valuable service by placing this on our agenda in the Oireachtas. I note what has been said about the alternative or substitute. The proposal is radical and may need a referendum but it is something that could work. Of course, the substitute would want to be somebody the Deputy could trust completely to operate in her best interest, not somebody who would be interested in giving her the elbow and taking over. In European Parliament elections they have the candidate but also a list of three or four people who might take over in the event of the candidate having to step aside for some reason.

The issue of by-elections is tangential to this. A substitute arrangement would allow us to dispense with by-elections which, when they occur, convulse the nation and do not achieve an awful lot because they often do not make a big difference to the numbers in the House. They are costly, at about €400,000 for each by-election. I note what Deputy Lawless said about other jurisdictions, where Ministers step aside from the Parliament to concentrate more on the ministerial work. I am only a Minister of State.

I was supposed to be in different places this evening but I had to be here for votes. I had three important events to attend to represent the Parliament and the country but I could not. This happens quite a bit.

The Bill takes a certain approach and it starts the debate on this matter. However, I have several concerns about it which I have raised. I strongly support the principles underpinning the Bill, namely, encouraging more women to enter politics, making the Oireachtas more family friendly, as well as recognising the rights, entitlements and needs of women who are pregnant. The Government will not oppose the Bill but we need to widen the debate. We must not forget the other person in this, namely the child. The first year of a child's life is important. While my young lads are well reared and thinking of having families of their own, I remember when I was a young Deputy, being away from home three nights a week and missing all that. That is one of the regrets I have. One of my sons always refers to the lyrics, “And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon ... But we'll get together then, dad”. Many Members miss out on that when they cannot get home.

The Bill uses employment legislation to regulate the rights of office holders. There is an urgent need for the Oireachtas to look at this issue and bring forward recommendations. It needs to examine how best to support women who are pregnant, including through setting out a framework preparing for Members on maternity leave and possibly looking at additional supports.

We must not forget paternity leave, which is also important. I will ask the Office of the Attorney General to advise on potential constitutional implications of intruding on the obligations of office holders.

We must not forget constituency work. Does leave mean complete leave? Leave should mean one is gone from a job completely for a period of time. One cannot be in the constituency office doing stuff and not here in the Oireachtas. Either one is gone or not.

While I will recommend the Government does not oppose the Bill, I expect to bring forward amendments to deal with the issues I have identified. It starts the debate but it is a far wider one. I look forward to continuing discussions on the Bill once it has completed a consultation process on Committee Stage. I hope the Oireachtas justice committee, along with others, will carry out a proper legislative scrutiny of it. We should discuss the issue itself in a broader context to see what both Houses can do to move the principle forward.

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