Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. Tá an ceart ag an gcainteoir deireanach go mbíonn an tAire Stáit istigh anseo linn go minic. The Minister of State is very dedicated in that he has come in to see us at this time on a Friday so I will give him due credit and regard for that. His speech is positive and welcoming in terms of some of the anomalies he addressed. There is a willingness and commitment from the Minister of State to address some of the anomalies around same-sex couples. While there may not be a huge body presenting itself, I am sure that as Ireland matures and progresses, this will be something with which we will be faced. It is right and proper that we reflect that legislatively and it is encouraging to hear the Minister of State's commitment to doing that. The Minister of State will be glad to hear that my contribution will be brief but it will probably share many of the sentiments expressed by him in his speech.

There is a compelling body of evidence which demonstrates that children do better if they spend their first year with a parent. We also know that the early years of children’s lives are crucial in terms of their growth to being teenagers and civic-minded adults, so the context in which we are debating the Paternity Leave and Benefit Bill has to be governed by what is best for the child or children in respect of time spent with the parent.

This Bill is essentially about future generations and their welfare and well-being, as well as workers' rights in the here and now. Caring leave entitlements and child care policies must be set in terms of what kind of society we want to create. Statutory rights to flexible work arrangements can play a key role in enabling workers to balance work with family and family related responsibilities. In this country, North and South, more needs to be done to bring parental leave and other workers' rights into line with the rest of Europe. Under the current law in this State, if a man wants to take time off following the birth of his child, he must do so out of current annual leave entitlements or leave without pay. This is unfair because it favours high-income workers. It is of no value to low-income families for whom it would be punitive to forgo income for the duration of the leave.

In Norway, new fathers are entitled to up to ten weeks' leave, with many jurisdictions having generous leave entitlements for fathers to ensure it is not just women who are solely responsible for child care. Further to this, the Government should work to extend maternity benefit by six weeks and allow that portion to be taken by either parent at the end of the current 28 weeks' maternity leave, as well as introducing 52 weeks of paid maternity or paternity leave. Sinn Féin has long campaigned for at least two weeks' paid paternity leave for fathers when their child is born. It is our clear view that this should eventually be increased to four weeks of paid paternity leave.

The absence of paid paternity leave to date has been a stain on the record of successive Governments' parental policy. I also ask the Minister of State to look at the so-called right to request policy which many European countries provide for workers where parents with young children have an actual entitlement to reduce working hours. This Bill and the introduction of two weeks' paid paternity leave is crucial in developing parental leave practices. The National Women's Council of Ireland, Start Strong, and ICTU have called for this for years. It is our view that this Bill should be welcomed and viewed as a starting point for the development of a better child care and parental leave system, including flexible work arrangements for parents. I am heartened, encouraged and hopeful that this is what this Bill will achieve given the Minister of State's remarks and his sincere commitment.