Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the chance to speak on this Bill, which is long overdue. However, we should not forget the backdrop which led to the Government's U-turn. In the early days of the pandemic, mothers attended prenatal appointments alone. Many gave birth without the support of their partners. I commend the work of Agnes Graholska and the other parents in the Extend Maternity Leave 2020 campaign. They ran a petition which to date has in excess of 30,000 signatures. They did this despite having newborn babies at home, somehow managing to create, build and drive a national campaign on this important issue.

Last July, Sinn Féin brought forward proposals to extend maternity leave from six to nine months for mothers whose maternity leave claims expired from March to November, if they wished to avail of it. This took account of the public health emergency. Parents of young babies found themselves facing particular challenges and there was an added difficulty in securing childcare for new babies. The Government's response was to kick the can down the road. The pressure has been kept up and we are finally seeing action.

We need to go further. Ireland lags behind many European countries in maternity leave. It is vital we give babies and their parents the best possible start. I am sure we will revisit this topic as we strive to bring our maternity leave entitlement into the 21st century.

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