Lorraine Clifford Lee (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I echo Senator Ardagh's comments. I thank the Social Democrats for bringing this Bill to the Dáil. It is a very simple Bill. It will not cost the State anything but it will mean much to hundreds of thousands of families around the country. It is imperative that the Government runs with this and enacts the legislation as soon as possible because so many people depend on it. Like Senator Ardagh, I have been contacted by numerous people who are begging for this lifeline. It will mean that childcare costs will be reduced for families. Ireland has the highest childcare costs in the OECD. They are scandalous. They are forcing women out of the workforce.As a result, Irish companies and the State are poorer because we are not retaining talent and encouraging it to stay within the workforce and we do not have blended work teams. This is having a negative impact on the gender pay gap and it is becoming a vicious circle. This is one step towards correcting that but, of course, it does not correct the gender pay gap. I would like the Minister of State to give a commitment to this House that he will run with Senator Bacik's Bill on the gender pay gap and wage reporting in the Dáil. The Bill received cross-party support here. Rather than introduce its own Bill, I would like the Government to run with and amend the Senator's Bill in order that it can be introduced as soon as possible because the women of Ireland are waiting for this and are not willing to sit back any longer and allow this unfair gender pay gap to continue.

I refer back to this Bill and the work-life balance it will allow many people to achieve. Only 5% have taken up parental leave. We need a cultural shift. There is an enthusiastic response to this. If we extend it the way this Bill suggests, more people will think about how they can work around it and perhaps forgo a salary for a period to look after and bond with their families and cut down on childcare costs while continuing with their careers instead of being cut out of the workforce in its entirety. I look forward to the Minister of State's support for this Bill.