Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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14. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection in the context of the programme for Government commitment to examine the extension of parents’ leave and benefit, whether he will outline the current status of this examination; the options under consideration to extend the duration of parents’ leave and benefit beyond the current entitlement; when he expects to bring proposals to Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30628/26]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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I am very glad that since I had my twins nine years ago, a Fine Gael Government introduced parents' leave, which now stands at nine weeks for each parent. As we know, the take-up of this leave, particularly by dads, is exceptionally low. Research from the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, IHREC, last year showed that awareness really is part of this, as well as the low level that both parents will be receiving social welfare payments at a time when costs have hugely increased. The Minister might please give us an update as to what he is doing in regard to extending parents' leave and the rate at which it might be paid.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Boland for her question. As she acknowledged, parents' benefit provides nine weeks' paid leave to parents during the first two years of a child’s life or following adoption. Any proposal to extend the period of leave is a matter for Deputy Foley, who has legal and policy responsibility for family leave as Minister for Children, Disability and Equality. My Department has legal and policy responsibility for the payment of the associated benefits.

Parents' leave and benefit were introduced in November 2019. The Government has provided over €123 million for the scheme in 2026. The scheme provides each parent with nine weeks of non-transferrable leave to be taken within two years of the birth or placement, in the case of adoption, of their child. The nine weeks can be taken in any combination of minimum one week to a maximum of nine weeks' leave. The 2019 Act is in line with the EU directive 2019/1158 on work-life balance for parents and carers. It provides that the nine weeks' leave is non-transferrable between parents. That is in order to promote the equal participation of men and women in the workplace and in caring roles. The leave was extended from the original two weeks in November 2019 to five weeks in April 2021, seven weeks in July 2022, and nine weeks in August 2024.

The number of applications for parents' benefit by both men and women has steadily increased. Our Department's statistics for quarter 4 of last year show that 40% of all applicants for parents' benefit were men and 60% were women. In providing nine weeks of non-transferrable leave to each parent, parents' benefit in effect ring-fences leave for fathers and it is hoped that this approach will encourage fathers to avail of their leave entitlement.

While Ireland is atypical among EU member states in paying a flat rate for all family leave benefits of €299, it provides one of the most generous durations of maternity leave, with 26 paid weeks and 16 unpaid weeks available to new mothers. I will certainly take Deputy Boland's proposal on board in relation to awareness around parents' benefit, particularly for men.

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister. There is a real issue with awareness and we need to have a concerted awareness campaign. Fathers simply do not know that they are entitled to take this leave.

In regard to increasing the rate of payment, we know the projected child benefit payment this year is actually going to be down €320 million on what was paid last year. We should be looking at supporting families, particularly around payments for family leave. The is money there. We are going to be down €320 million on child benefit last year and I think we should look at increasing the rate at which we are paying for family leave.

The Minister might give us an update as to whether that has been costed or looked at.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy knows, the programme for Government has a commitment to introduce pay-related parent's benefit. We are looking at that. We introduced pay-related jobseeker's benefit in March 2025. That has just finished its first year of operation and I am undertaking a full review of it. We will learn from the lessons of pay-related jobseeker's benefit what we can do before we carry out a consultation later in the year in relation to parental benefit.

We introduced a very specific child poverty package of over €260 million this year looking at families on lower incomes. We have a very specific focus on children who are at risk of poverty and on reducing that rate to zero, ideally. No child should be at risk at poverty. I take on board the Deputy's suggestions and proposals on the need for greater awareness, particularly for fathers, around the supports that are available. We will engage with the Department on that.

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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In terms of looking at people and children at risk of poverty, for a mother who is availing of maternity leave at €299 or of the 16 weeks' unpaid leave, and a dad who is also taking parent's leave at a rate of €299, the two combined payments are exceptionally low in terms of actually being able to avail of this leave. It means the people in lower socio-economic positions are simply not able to avail of this leave because of the rates of pay. I appreciate pay-related rates being looked at, but at the same time it is people at the bottom who are really going to be most affected because they simply cannot afford to take the leave. We need to look at that and how we can support everyone at all socio-economic levels.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I agree and I think we have done that. This year, the fuel allowance has been extended to those on the working family payment. It is the first time the fuel allowance is available to those who are also working. That means that 50,000 extra people now qualify for the fuel allowance payment. We also ensured that it was backdated to 1 January so that the 50,000 or so families with children would receive a lump sum payment in the beginning of March for January and February and were now getting the payment up to the end of this week to assist with the energy crisis at the moment.

We are going to look at the experience of the pay-related jobseeker's benefit's first year and how it worked and then apply the lessons to forming a consultation document on parental leave. The Deputy has raised it with me and Deputy Currie and colleagues across the Government are relating to me that we need to look at those payment rates. The point I always make about jobseeker's pay-related benefit is that it is people's own money being paid back to them. They have paid PRSI and they have paid into the Social Insurance Fund and that is what it is there for.