Dáil debates

Thursday, 26 January 2023

Parental Bereavement Leave (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage [Private Members]

 

7:54 pm

Photo of Réada CroninRéada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."

I was delighted when I saw that our Bill had been chosen in the Bills lottery before Christmas and to get the opportunity to bring this Bill to the House on Second Stage. As I discussed at some of the committees, this Bill is designed to give parents who are employees the legal right to parental bereavement leave when their child has died. Every person here and every parent listening I am sure hopes that this devastation will never visit them. However, for a few, it does, including indeed some people in this House. For that reason I imagined that this would be a gentle Bill, that it would go through the House without resistance. It is also a strong Bill. The Bill would have real power to protect employee parents when they have lost their child.

Deputy O’Reilly and I made the Bill as clear, as distinct and as workable as possible in theory and in practice. Under the Bill in regard to a child, son or daughter under 18 years of age, or a stillborn baby after the 24th week of pregnancy, the term of the parental bereavement leave is to be no less than ten days. It would be applied for and notified within 42 days of the date of the death. That death date would be considered day 1.

Our Bill establishes parental bereavement leave separate from all other leave and ensures that it qualifies as continuing employment in terms of length of service or benefits accruing later on. No working parent should be penalised later for leave needed and taken on the death of his or her child. The Bill also lays out clearly the rights and responsibilities of both the employer and the employee. Critically it establishes parental bereavement leave as a legal right for a worker. In this way it establishes it as an employment right to be vindicated, as opposed to a personal favour or kindness to be requested and conferred at one of the most difficult times that any parent could face in his or her life. I believe it is critical in a time of such loss and heartbreak that a worker should be able to rely on the simplicity and order of such leave being in legislation. Since death does not delay there is a real urgency to this Bill. For employers and employees alike there is a real need that the effect of this Bill be in statute as soon as possible.

I was upset and taken aback to see that the Government has proposed an amendment to delay the Bill for 12 months and for reasons that can wait and therefore I believe do not hold. The examination of these issues does not and should not preclude the Minister from withdrawing his amendment. There is no reason this Bill should not proceed without the 12-month delay and the examination of the issues the Minister raises continue in tandem. By contrast death does not delay. Death does not wait and will not wait. If the Minister persists with this amendment and the 12-month delay, bereaved parents will be left waiting even longer for something that should already be in place as their right as valued citizens of this State.

We talk a great deal here about compassion. The Government is great with its “be kind” hashtags. With this Bill the Government would have the chance to show real kindness and compassion to bereaved parents in our actions as legislators, not merely in words. It is actually hard to believe that this leave is not already established as a right for a bereaved parent. I suspect many people think it already is and probably imagine they could rely on it if an appalling event occurred, but it is not and it is badly needed. To delay it further would be both unnecessary and inexplicable. I implore the Minister to reconsider his amendment and withdraw it and give parents the dignity they deserve.

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