Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I commend my colleague, Senator O'Loughlin, on bringing forward the motion, not just in her role on the administrative panel but also as chair of the women's caucus. She does a fabulous job.

Politics, as we know, is not a normal job. Public service does not start at nine, finish at six and come with leave entitlements. Our families know and accept that, all too often, politics comes first, but there are times when it should not and cannot. However, we allow ourselves to be part of a culture in which women who have just had children, a life-altering event in our lives, feel they have no choice but to protect and mind their seats when they should be protecting and minding their newborn babies.I would not underestimate the inner conflict that causes. The last thing I want to do is have us introduce provisions that support councillors with leave and they can say that it is great but it is for somebody else and not for them because they fear losing ground to somebody else, losing face, being judged or allowing competitors to take advantage. There must be choice and flexibility in what we bring forward so people can find what works for them. As somebody has said, that may be that such people continue to work with a support network behind them.

I commend the Association of Irish Local Government proposal to amend section 18 of the Local Government Act 2001, which seems the way to go. The people can decide themselves how long they wish to take with full remuneration for the first six months, 50% up to a year and unpaid if they decide to go to 18 months. Vouched expenses for those who are still working should be available and the possibility of remote attendance from here on is a must. People should be able to vote remotely so those who choose to keep working do not need to bring newborn babies into a chamber and men on paternity leave are not being pulled away from forming a support network. Pairing should be part of this process but it does not work in all councils. It would be interesting to give the option of a substitute to people for the full period, although not everybody would be comfortable with that. The most impactful action we could take would be to give administrative and secretarial support so the work could still come from the councillor but it is done through the office.

I also have another suggestion, which is that councillors should be able to decide not to take maternity leave in full at that time. They may have just been elected or perhaps an election is upcoming. Such people could take a month and then be able to take five months at a later stage. That should not be interrupted by the term and there should be a time-specific period in which they can avail of maternity leave. They should have options similar to employees who are not officeholders, such as for parental and unpaid leave as well.

It is my first time speaking in the House since my father passed away. I wanted to come because this is about life-altering leave. I thank the people working behind the scenes for me during my bereavement leave. I have two fantastic secretarial assistants who job-share, Ms Geraldine Hogan and Ms Evie Sammon. They were able to keep me going and gave me peace of mind when I was trying to find peace with what happened as well. I was paired in the House. One cannot underestimate that kind of support. I really miss him and I feel pride and loss in equal measure. I thank everybody for the kind words they said in this House, outside this House and in the media to me. I thank the people who turned up and gave me the support I needed. He was an uncomplicated, brilliant Irishman and father. I will be proud of him every day for the rest of my life.