Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 91, 106 and 120 together.

I am pleased to confirm that, in order to support parents of children born during the strict lockdown measures, the Government intends to extend parents' leave from two weeks to five weeks for each parent of all children born or adopted on or after 1 November 2019. The Government also intends to extend the period in which parents' leave can be taken up until that child turns two years or, in the case of an adoption, two years after the adoption placement date of the child. This extension will apply to parents who may have already availed of their existing entitlements. Heads of a Bill to effect these changes are being drafted in the Department and I intend to bring these to Government next Tuesday for approval.

Payment of parents' benefit is a matter for the Minister for Social Protection and I understand that some adjustments will be needed to the relevant IT systems in that Department and time will be taken to make those changes. The estimated timescale for the necessary updates being put in place in the pay systems is April 2021 However, I am examining whether it may be possible for parents' leave to be taken in advance of these changes and the benefit claimed retrospectively, once the legislation has been enacted. I will take advice from parliamentary counsel to ensure that it is possible to draft the legislation in this way. I will ensure that parents are fully informed of their entitlements in this regard as soon as possible.

The Minister for Social Protection, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and I have discussed this issue with the view to progressing it as quickly as possible. The extension to parents' leave and benefit follows a number of advancements in parents' leave in recent years, including the introduction of parents' leave and benefit in 2019 and the extension of unpaid parental leave to 26 weeks in September this year for a child under 12 years.

As part of the same legislation that will deal with the issue of parents' leave, I will also bring proposals on adoptive leave. This will allow all adopting couples, whether same sex or opposite sex, to have the right to select which of them would be the qualified adopter for the purposes of taking adoptive leave and benefit. This is an important provision which was committed to in the programme for Government. The proposed adoptive leave proposals will enable married male same-sex adopting couples to be eligible for adoptive leave. As it stands at present, the Adoptive Leave Act 2005 allows only an adoptive mother to take adoptive leave. The new provisions would enable either the adopting mother or the adopting father to be eligible to take adoptive leave once the choice has been made by the couple.

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