Results 261-280 of 1,150 for speaker:Frank Fahey

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (2 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: The reality is that choices need to be made. Senators Norris and O'Toole mentioned force majeure leave and the need for parental leave when children are hurt in accidents or are ill. As I stated, the parent is entitled to take time off under the force majeure provisions of the principal Act. Both Senators Norris and O'Toole referred to force majeure leave for same-sex couples. The parental...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: Before speaking on Senator White's amendment I would like to advise the House that it is intended to propose a Government amendment on Report Stage to section 2 of the Bill at page 4, line 3. An unintentional anomaly has just come to light in the case of the upper age limit for adopted children and this needs to be corrected. As regards Senator White's amendment, section 2(2)(c) of the Bill...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: I will check the matter out.

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: Always act logically.

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: The issue of paid parental leave was raised by Senator O'Toole. I gave a comprehensive answer to this question on Second Stage. As parents, we would all agree that paid parental leave would be very desirable. I am sure we will reach a situation in this country where paid parental leave will exist. We should reflect on the combination of supports we have in this country. If the Senator wishes...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: ——as against all those lovely aspirations he so eloquently puts about. I cannot reconsider this. It is not possible for us to have paid parental leave under this legislation. It may well be possible under a partnership negotiation in the future, but not under this legislation.

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: That is not how I calculated it.

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: As I said, at 2001 prices the cost of parental leave would exceed €200 million. The sums involved would be much higher now. The calculation is based on the basis of payment and level of take up of maternity leave. Senator Norris said we are out of step with certain Europe countries, but the evidence is that they have been out of step with us in the past couple of years. Senators Norris,...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: I would make choices, as the Senator should be prepared to do in this debate. I favour paying more money to parents in working class areas and in parts of rural Ireland who cannot go to work because of difficulties relating to child care and the poverty trap in which they find themselves. It would be better to do so than to make parental leave available to the Michael Smurfits of this...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: I do not profess to be a socialist.

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: A total of €800 million has been invested over the past five years.

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: The Senator has not succeeded yet.

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: The evidence is people are taking unpaid parental leave.

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: There has been a considerable increase in the numbers availing of the term time provision during the summer and so on.

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: It is incorrect to state unpaid parental leave is a major disadvantage. This legislation is a step forward. It was negotiated with the social partners and I do not want it to be seen in the completely negative light it is being seen in the House. We should dwell on its positive aspects. The legislation meets a demand and many people are availing of parental leave. While we would all like...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: We have examined this amendment carefully and tried to establish exactly what Senator O'Toole has in mind. Now that he has spoken about it, I feel even more strongly that to amend the Bill as proposed would not be in its interest. Section 7(1)(b) already offers employers and employees a great deal of flexibility in how parental leave may be taken. This flexibility is enhanced by section...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: Nothing I have heard from Senators Tuffy or O'Toole convinces me that a statutory obligation will do anything for flexibility. Good flexibility means good communication, common sense and a spirit of compromise. Statutory obligation imposes the exact opposite. In an era in which all the progressive companies in this country are being proactive on work-family life balance, it is unnecessary for...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: I cannot accept this amendment as it proposes to remove the provision for a ten week interval between the blocks of parental leave. This is contrary to the agreement reached by the parental leave working group in the context of the recommendation that parental leave may be taken in separate blocks, each consisting of a minimum of six continuous weeks. The group considered that to balance the...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: Section 13(1) of the Parental Leave Act of 1998 provides for leave with pay known as force majeure leave in situations where for urgent family reasons, owing to an injury or an illness of a specified person, the immediate presence of the employee at the place where the person, whether at his or her home or elsewhere, is indispensable. This transposes clause 3(1) of the parental leave...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: We have looked at this question since the debate on Second Stage in light of what was stated by Senators O'Toole and Norris. We found that the 1998 Act already entitles employees acting as parent to a child to force majeure leave, irrespective of whether the employee is in a same-sex relationship. Section 13(2) specifies the ill or injured persons for whom an employee is entitled to force...