Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate and welcome the Minister of State to the House. I am also interested in hearing his reply to the debate. The legislation been debated in the Lower House and passed all Stages earlier this year. I acknowledge the Bill was sponsored by the Social Democrats and the work that has gone into it. I may have some qualifications. I am the father of three children born between 2003 and 2009. There was no paternity leave during those years. I welcome the fact that we have progressed in this country to a point where the Government introduced two weeks paid paternity leave to give fathers that extra opportunity to bond along with the mother during those vital two weeks when a baby is born. That is important.

Almost 500 fathers in Waterford participated in the paternity leave scheme this year, which shows it is needed, there is a demand for it and young fathers are taking it up. This, along with additional childcare supports, shows that things are far better nowadays than they were ten or 15 years ago. I encourage the Government to continue to increase supports to allow parents to spend more time with their families, particularly in the early years. The Minister of State can correct me if I am wrong but I note that the Government is not opposing this Bill because we support the principle that families with young children need additional support. That is reflected in the budget and various policies that are being brought forward regarding childcare and paternity leave.

However, there are some concerns about the Bill and the Government is reserving the right to propose amendments on the next Stage. The Government's preference is for paid paternity leave as it is seen as a better mechanism to support families. If we look at affordability, while the intention in this Bill might be very good in terms of equality and allowing people to spend time with their families, we could create an inequality in the workplace where families that can afford it take longer parental leave while other families that might wish to take the same parental leave may not be in a position to take unpaid leave. This can bring its own pressures and stresses and create an inequality that might not have been intended.

Employers are generally supportive of their employees. They must be supportive because their employees are their best asset. We must take into account the fact that SMEs are the backbone of the country in terms of employment. If we introduce legislation without consulting them - and consultation with employers regarding this Bill might not have been as wide and extensive as it should have been - that would be a mistake. We need to engage with employers. We will find that they are generally supportive of parental leave but we need to hear their voice on the matter and We have not had an understanding of that to date with this Bill. I would caution that we need to bring forward legislation that is sustainable for families first and foremost but also for employers that give those families employment. By working together on a partnership basis, we will bring about better legislation and a better understanding of the needs of our society.