Dáil debates

Thursday, 20 January 2022

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation

 

12:50 pm

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I very much support the introduction of leave in the event of miscarriage. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth is going to commission some research in this area to see what is best practice and what is done around the world. Both the Philippines and New Zealand have a law on it. I would like Ireland to be among of the first countries to do so. However, it is a complicated area, perhaps more so than it may appear. There are many different types of miscarriage and the impact can be very different, depending on the circumstances. We are introducing legislation at present to provide for sick leave for people, but we need to think about proportionality as well. For example, if one provides leave for one condition, would it be legitimate to provide less or more leave for another condition such as cancer or a mastectomy? We have to ensure that we study this in the round and ensure that anything we do would not be struck down in legal terms. That is why it will require some research and work.

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