Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Ruane for her amendment and all the Senators for speaking on it. I understand the spirit in which this amendment is put forward and I am committed to working with Senators, and indeed Deputies, on the issues that are raised here. A legislative requirement to bring forward a review of the nature described by Senator Ruane's amendment is not necessary at this time because the work that the Senator describes is work that is being carried out on an ongoing basis.

We are reviewing the provisions we make for family leave on an ongoing basis. Indeed, that is amply demonstrated by this legislation, where we have increased the provision from two weeks to five weeks per parent but, more importantly, we have also looked at not only doing it in the first year but spreading it out over the first two years. That is a significant change from legislation that was introduced only in 2019. That is evidence of the fact that my Department and our new colleagues who joined from the Department of Justice in recent months are keeping an eye on this.

It is not the only piece, as the Senator will be aware. We have spoken on many occasions on the issue of domestic violence leave as a specific area of leave that we are looking at. I am hoping to concrete legislative proposals by the end of this year. There are other elements, particular around the area of flexible working, that we wish to continue to advance.

On the general scope, we are not leaving this issue when this legislation is passed. This is an issue we will continue to revisit.

Particularly on the issue of the budgetary impact which Senator Ruane specifically referred to and the requirement to increase the number of weeks available for parent's leave - we are talking about paid leave that is available to both parents and that cannot be transferred - we have a commitment in terms of the directive to reach a target there, originally by August 2022 but now August 2024.We can increase the number of weeks in the future through statutory instrument rather than opting for legislation again. The main reason we are taking the legislative route on this occasion is the move from one year to two years. That is the part that required the statutory intervention. I am on record as saying I want to increase the number of weeks of parent's leave per year. I said that on a number of occasions even before this legislation was introduced. I believe that is where our focus must be, because the concept of shared responsibility and support for shared parenting during those early years is crucial. That is why I want a focus on that.

I cannot make absolute commitments today because I have to engage with colleagues. The Minister for Social Protection is responsible for the payment of the benefit and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has ultimate responsibility for the budgetary allocation. The cost of the measures we will pass in the next number of weeks is not insignificant at €28.9 million in a year. That is approximately €9.5 million per week. That cost is value for money, but it is significant so I cannot make an absolute commitment to the sequencing of how we will achieve that. However, I will be working in each budget to seek to address and increase it.

There are other elements of the work-life balance directive on which we must continue to work. Addressing parent's leave is an important part of it, but there are other elements, particularly in terms of flexible working. That is being examined in conjunction with the wider remote working strategy. While they are linked, they are also separate. Flexible working should not be merged with the concept of remote working as flexible working is specifically to support parents in their caring role.

A number of Senators raised the value of the benefit at €245 per week. Obviously, it is directly linked to the value of the maternity leave, paternity leave and adoptive leave benefit. We would be wrong just to look at the weekly amount of the benefit for parent's leave, as the review proposed by Senator Ruane suggests. I am certainly open to examining the value of the wider family benefits that are paid, but they have to be examined in conjunction with each other. We cannot just take one and separate it from the others. Again, that is a matter not just for me but also for the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, and ultimately it requires the support of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath.

There is increased take-up of parent's leave. In the first 12 months, some 13,000 individuals took it up, which is just over 1,000 per month. In January this year, slightly fewer than 2,500 people took it up, so the uptake is increasing. However, it is something we will continue to examine.

I will work with Senators both in the context of speaking to these issues in Commencement matters in the House and, in particular, through the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Children, Disability, Equality and Integration. I am happy to engage on these issues. I want to work on broadening and strengthening the elements of support the State provides to families.