Results 861-880 of 1,150 for speaker:Frank Fahey

Seanad: Child Care Services: Statements. (22 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: I welcome the opportunity to make a statement to Seanad Éireann regarding the implementation of the equal opportunities child care programme. The programme for Government and the progress of the equal opportunities child care programme are confirmation of the Government's commitment to developing child care services and to keeping child care at the forefront of its social agenda. The...

Seanad: Child Care Services: Statements. (22 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: That is not possible.

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (16 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: This amendment proposes to delete section 3(b) of the Bill, which provides for a ten-week interval between periods of parental leave. As I said on Committee Stage, the effect of the amendment would be contrary to the parental leave working group's recommendation that parental leave may be taken in separate periods, each consisting of a minimum of six continuous weeks. The working group's...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (16 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: This amendment would require the Minister, within three months of the enactment of the Bill, to lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas in regard to the feasibility of introducing paid parental leave. This is not an appropriate mechanism for dealing with this matter. As Senators are aware, the question of paid parental leave was considered during the review of the Parental Leave Act...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (16 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: In common with the previous amendment, I see no merit in this proposal. A feasibility study on increasing the duration of parental leave would not add to our understanding of the issue. The parental leave review group considered proposals made by ICTU and the Equality Authority to increase the duration of parental leave. These proposals were considered in the context of the following factors:...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (16 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: As I indicated on Committee Stage, an unintentional anomaly has come to light in section 2. The reference to the upper age limit for adopted children needs to be corrected. The construction used in section 2(2)(b)(ii) unintentionally narrows the parental leave entitlement for the parent of an adopted child. It does this by providing that in respect of a child who is the subject of an adoption...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (16 Feb 2005)

Frank Fahey: The Parental Leave Act 1998 provides an individual and non-transferable entitlement to each parent to 14 weeks unpaid leave from work per child to take care of young children. This is consistent with the provisions of the EU parental leave directive, which gives legal effect to the framework agreement on parental leave agreed by the social partners at EU level. Section 2(2) of the agreement,...

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...

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

Frank Fahey: As I said in my reply, that is already provided for——

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

Frank Fahey: ——except in the case of a couple in a same sex relationship where one partner wishes to take force majeure leave to look after the other. This is already provided for to look after a parent or child. Where one partner needs to care for another, I am prepared to recommend that.

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

Frank Fahey: On the second part of Senator Terry's question, perhaps I might clarify that the legislation does not need to be amended, since the change can be made by ministerial order under section 13(2) of the Parental Leave Act 1998, and that is what I will be recommending. If the employee is in loco parentis, he or she already qualifies under the 1998 Act for force majeure leave for a child and under...

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.