Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

If I might, I will start by saying that I am a Fine Gael Deputy and I know that my party and all the Government parties are safe and welcoming spaces for us all to vocalise our own views. We all have the opportunity to do so in this Chamber as well. I believe all our colleagues do this.

I am thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to this debate today. This Bill contains many exciting and progressive measures that I welcome wholeheartedly. They will have a very positive impact on society in general and on our approach to work-life balance, as well the culture within organisations. This legislation includes several important provisions that will make a significant contribution to supporting workers with caring responsibilities and women returning to work after maternity leave.

The introduction of leave for medical care purposes and the right to request flexible working for carers and parents are important components of this legislation and these measures are concerned with ensuring Ireland’s adaption of the EU's work-life balance directive. For the first time, leave for medical care purposes will allow a parent or a carer to take up to five days of unpaid carers’ leave each year. Employees with children aged up to 12 and carers will also be given the right to request flexible working arrangements for caring purposes. These are positive first steps and I believe they will spark many important conversations in the workplace about balance and flexibility. This is what we need if we are to have a cultural step change.

Any parent will tell you, however, that caring for a child does not simply stop at age 12 and I know many parents of teenagers who would also welcome a workplace discussion around flexible arrangements for them. Designated miscarriage leave is something that I and my party colleagues, Deputy Carroll MacNeill and Senator Seery Kearney, have called for on several occasions. As I have outlined before here, there are many reasons miscarriage leave is necessary and why it would be a worthwhile and progressive step for us to take. I sincerely hope this is coming down the tracks.

I also particularly welcome the provisions around breastfeeding in this Bill. The extension of the entitlement to breastfeeding breaks up to two years is part of a long-standing Government commitment and it will have important benefits for not just public health but also in assisting in breaking down the stigma that still exists today around breastfeeding in Ireland.

Since its formation, this Government has made clear that tackling domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is a priority for us. I especially commend the work the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, is doing in this area. The Minister intends to introduce legislative provisions providing for a form of domestic violence leave. I very much welcome that the Government has approved the Minister’s recommendations concerning this issue. Its introduction will make Ireland one of the first countries in Europe to adopt domestic violence paid leave. This sends a strong message that domestic violence is a crime that will not be tolerated and will not go unpunished and that victims will be supported.

The domestic violence leave report makes two key recommendations. The first is that a form of domestic violence leave be introduced, while the second is that supports for employers be put in place to assist them in developing domestic violence workplace policies to support employees. We know from recent high-profile cases around domestic abuse that workplace awareness and support can play an important role in supporting victims of domestic abuse to get support. Therefore, the importance of this measure cannot be understated.

I am aware that the Department has been conducting an examination of the issues surrounding the provision of leave for Members of the Oireachtas. This is something we must examine. It is a matter we must get right if we are to see the number of women in this Chamber change. Maternity leave for councillors is something we just recently discussed in the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage. As I said then, one of the most important things we can do to attract women into local politics is to make sure that council chambers are welcoming spaces for women and the same goes for this Chamber.

Right now, young women thinking about starting a family feel they do not fit into politics partly because they would not have access to maternity leave, something that should be a basic human right. It is critical that we rectify the lack of maternity leave both in local and national politics. In today's world, it should not be a progressive move; it should just happen.

This is such a positive Bill. I am delighted to see all of the measures contained in it finally coming to fruition to make the workplace a more equitable place for parents, for carers and for the most vulnerable in society.

See this speech in context