Frank Fahey (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

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 directive which provides that workers must be given the right to time off for such urgent family reasons in cases of sickness or accident.

Section 13(1) of the 1998 Act caters for a situation where a parent may be requested by a school to deal with an emergency situation relating to the illness or injury of the child while in school. The proposed amendment is unnecessary on the basis that provision is already made in the existing legislation to cater for such an emergency.

In the event of a child's illness, the parent is entitled to force majeure leave to go to whatever location the child is at, including a school. I appreciate the point the Senator is getting at, and I would agree with him in the context of his amendment, but given that it is covered already it is not necessary to accept it.