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

We will certainly examine and consider the statutory element. As Deputy Higgins alluded to, we have acted to enhance rights and protections for families, particularly for women, through the parental leave extension about which she spoke and ongoing work to implement legislation on the gender pay gap, through the proposals we are examining with regard to extending breaks for breastfeeding and by introducing, for the first time, paid domestic violence leave.

The Government therefore has a strong track record in recognising the protections families need and particularly the protections needed for women in the workplace, in the home and wherever else those protections are needed and in acting. It is important we do the research. Deputy Carroll MacNeill alluded to the fact that there is a significant body of information out there. We use that to ensure that the proposals we bring forward are properly targeted and will be impactful for women who have experienced a miscarriage and for their partners and families. It is right that we take that bit of time to do the research, but I am very happy to engage with both Deputies or indeed any other Deputy or Senator who wants to engage on this issue because it is really important we have these open conversations on the floors of the Dáil and the Seanad. Even in doing this, we encourage the wider conversation about miscarriages in workplaces and in society.

See this speech in context