Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

I move amendment No. 9:

In page 8, line 48, after "hospital" to insert "or such other date as may be agreed between the employer and the employee".

The purpose of the amendment is to remove unnecessary rigidity in the Bill which requires that where adoptive leave is postponed following the hospitalisation of a child, it must be taken as a continuous period beginning not later than seven days after the child is discharged from hospital. We feel that, in a spirit of partnership, our amendment would allow the parties to be free to negotiate a different date and we ask the Minister of State to accept it.