Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. Covid-19 forced us to reimagine much of our lives, not least our work life balance. These hard-earned lessons should and must be part of our future approach to the issues around caring, disability, inclusivity, equality and workers rights and this Bill is a welcome step in that regard.

While the Bill includes a number of important provisions for family carers, there are several aspects of this legislation which are of concern. I refer specifically to the list of those for whom unpaid carer's leave days or flexible working can be applied. This definition excludes applicants in respect of care provided to non-relatives who do not live in the same household. I am conscious that members of the LGBT community, for example, may rely on friends and other members of their community for care. The Bill's narrowing of the meaning of family is at odds with the spirit of pending referendums around the definition of family and so on.

My party colleagues in the Dáil previously highlighted the Bill's defects in the context of the required sharing of personal information. Again, I am concerned about this requirement for members of the LGBT community who, for historical reasons or for fear of discrimination, may not wish to disclose personal medical information to their own or their carer's employer. I ask the Minister to consider whether there is another less intrusive way to deal with that issue.

I also wish to raise the very important issue of maternity leave for Oireachtas Members. Despite a number of Opposition amendments being proposed, the Government failed to bring forward amendments to provide for maternity leave for Members of both Houses of the Oireachtas. When this legislation was approved in September, the Government signed off on using it to provide for maternity leave for Oireachtas Members. In October, the Minister, in response to a parliamentary question, informed Deputy McDonald that it was his intention to introduce maternity leave provisions in this Bill on Report Stage in the Dáil. In November, that intention was restated but we have not seen the amendments yet. I ask the Minister to provide an update. Why were maternity leave-related amendments not tabled? As this Bill will shortly conclude its legislative journey, I ask him to clarify whether it is now his intention to introduce separate legislation to provide for maternity leave for Oireachtas Members?

While I welcome the Local Government (Maternity Protection and Other Measures for Members of Local Authorities) Bill 2022 which provides leave for councillors and temporary substitution for all councillors who are absent, I would point out that Members of the Oireachtas do not have access to those same provisions. I look forward to the Minister's response.