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

The entitlement to many forms of family leave requires a minimum period of employment. For parental leave and carers' leave, for example, there is a minimum period of one year, while for statutory sick leave a period of 13 weeks of continuous service is required. Indeed, the work-life balance directive does envisage a notice period for flexible working arrangements. I understand what the Senator is trying to do with this amendment, which is to introduce greater flexibility into the six-month minimum period of service for an employee. However, as the Senator said, the legislation only imposes a baseline standard and it is always open to an employer to go beyond that. In that context, this amendment is not necessary in this situation.