Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I support the counter-motion being put forward this evening.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a serious impact on children and parents, with many families experiencing significant stress due to the lack of supports and childcare over the last period of time. The restrictions imposed over recent months have had a particularly adverse effect on mothers and newborn babies. The Government is extremely sympathetic to families who have had their lives upended. We are committed to enabling parents to have extended time with their babies so they can access the supports they need and enjoy these precious early months as much as possible.

Supports for families have been introduced in recent years through a range of legislation that has facilitated greater work-life balance for parents. Most recently, a new parents leave and benefits scheme was introduced which provides two weeks of leave and benefit for each parent. Each new parent is entitled to two weeks of leave and benefit for a child born or adopted after 1 November 2019. Fortuitously, the legislation envisages an expansion of these entitlements. That is why we propose that we utilise this scheme rather than the Maternity Protection Acts 1994-2004, in order to provide extra supports to new parents during this time.

New ground was broken in the Irish context in 2016, when statutory paternity leave and benefit was introduced. Until that time, unlike most EU member states, we had no provision for paternity leave, which rendered us very much out of step with the changed and more active role that fathers in modern societies play in raising their children. The Paternity Leave and Benefit Act 2016 was an important piece of legislation. It recognises that paternity leave promotes social benefits and a fairer sharing of family responsibilities, and has a positive impact on fatherhood.

11 o’clock

A decision to extend maternity leave would reinforce the outdated message that caring for babies is the preserve of mothers. The Government's proposal to legislate for increased parents' leave will bring more benefits for babies and young children and promote a balance in parenting responsibilities. In September 2019, parental leave was increased from 18 to 22 weeks. This leave is important in accommodating parents who wish to spend more time with older children. The qualifying age of the child was recently extended to 12 years.

In regard to other supports for new mothers during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government reacted swiftly to issues that emerged in connection with the temporary wage subsidy scheme for parents on maternity or adoptive leave. The scheme was introduced under the Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 to attempt to minimise the negative impact of the pandemic on the labour market through an exceptional period beginning on 26 March and scheduled to run for an initial period of 12 weeks. An issue was raised that the application of the qualifying criteria did not provide for persons returning from maternity or adoptive leave who consequentially were not on the payroll during the relevant period. On 3 June, the Government announced that the temporary wage subsidy scheme would accommodate the salaries of parents returning from maternity or adoptive leave. This includes individuals who may not have been on the payroll of their employer on 29 February or were not paid in either January or February 2020 and will allow for consistent treatment with other employees. This accommodation will be provided for by way of an amendment to the Finance Bill 2020. In the meantime, where applicable, Revenue will implement the provision from 26 March.

The Government has provided other financial supports to families during the Covid-19 crisis. The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection has provided an income support in the form of the pandemic unemployment payment payable at €350 per week. If a parent has left work to care for a child because of school or childcare closures and the employer is no longer paying the person's wages, he or she may qualify for the pandemic unemployment payment. Women who were due to return to their employment after maternity leave have been eligible for this payment from the date they were due to return if that employment is no longer available and they are not receiving any payment from their employer. As of 8 June 2020, the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection had issued payments valued at €180 million to more than 500,000 people in respect of their application for the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment. Among the recipients were 22,000 people who have since informed the Department of their returning to work. Of these, 5,700 are female. As of 6 July, there were 893 people receiving a Covid-related illness benefit payment. Since the beginning of June, 104 people have been medically certified as having coronavirus and 946 have been medically certified because they are self-isolating for medical reasons.

Turning back to the motion and amendment before the House, we are all in agreement that new mothers need additional time with their newborn babies. I want to be unequivocal about the new Government's approach to resolving the issues we have been discussing. In opposing the Deputies' motion and putting forward an amendment, our objective is to achieve our goal in a speedier, more effective manner. An extension of parents' leave will be easier to achieve than an extension of maternity leave because the parental leave scheme already provides for an increase in entitlements. There will be greater benefits for children as they will enjoy additional time with their fathers as well as their mothers. Finally, this is an opportunity to promote gender balance in regard to family responsibilities. Pandemics make existing inequalities for women and girls worse across every sphere, from health to the economy, security and social protection. The impacts of Covid-19 are exacerbated for females and, as a result, the progress made on gender balance is at risk of being rowed back. We have an opportunity to continue to support gender equality even in the face of the current grave situation. I ask Deputies for their support in taking that opportunity. I join my colleague, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, in commending the Government amendment to the House.

See this speech in context