Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am in agreement with much of what Senator Higgins is saying about the peculiarity of the criteria when making regulations. In a way, providing domestic violence leave is another step forward for us as a nation in saying this is not tolerable. Creating a set of circumstances whereby we will provide it or limit it depending on the economy, does not send out the right message. That is not in any way in keeping with what our position and intention as legislators would be. There are many unnecessary and peculiar things in the Bill that read in a meanspirited way and contrary to the thrust, momentum and intention of this legislation.

With regard to the Women's Aid perspective, the idea that we would align what a woman is paid, if she needs to take domestic violence leave, with that of sick pay and not with a full day's rate of pay brings on a level of financial hardship at a very precarious and vulnerable time. When that level of coercive control is in place, everything is monitored. People have their phone's cloned. Absolutely everything in their life is controlled. Thus, seeing a sudden dip in wages gives rise to queries. If someone is controlling another individual to that point, he or she will give a good guess about 70% of the individual's rate of pay. The Women's Aid perspective on this is valid, as it calls it, in the context of a safety risk. Women's Aid is absolutely right. We should be hesitant about supporting or putting in place anything that points to an individual exercising an opportunity to get out of domestic violence or to free himself or herself from such a situation and might give that away to the perpetrator. We should be assisting that individual in keeping his or her privacy and not being exposed to this safety risk.