Margaret Cox (Fianna Fail)

I support Senator Tuffy's amendment. I am familiar with antenatal classes in the Western Health Board region. In many cases there are four classes. It is always recommended that these take place prior to month eight in case anything happens in the last four weeks and the delivery is premature. Given the small cost to employers of these classes, many of them will facilitate the employee by allowing her to have time off. To stop the last three would discriminate against women in areas like the Western Health Board region where it would mean not being paid for time off for three out of the four classes. The difficulty is not with the good employers but with the bad ones who do not implement rights and fight them all the way. While I accept this tiny issue is part of a larger agreement, I call on the Minister to reconsider it.