Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Teach. This is a very important day and it is a good day, as stated by Senator Seery Kearney.

Fianna Fáil very much welcomes this motion as it seeks approval for the increase in parental leave, for the third successive time in the term of this Government. As the Minister of State has already said, the motion details the final increase in parent's leave and benefit from seven weeks to nine weeks, which will take effect from 1 August of this year. The support applies to both parents. It is part of the Government's ambition to ensure that parents can enjoy meaningful quality time with their newborn in the knowledge that they will be financially supported.

Parent's leave and benefit is available to anyone with a child under two years of age, or who has adopted a child within the last two years. Parent's benefit is available to employed and self-employed parents with the required number of social insurance-PRSI contributions.

Parent's benefit is paid at a rate of €250 per week. This is the same rate for maternity, paternity and adoptive benefits. The parent's benefit scheme is family-friendly and flexible as it facilitates parents to avail of the benefit in a block of seven weeks, soon to be nine consecutive weeks, or in separate week blocks over a longer period.

There have been significant developments in the entitlements to different forms of family leave for working families in recent years. We must welcome that because any of us who have reared children will know that when children are small there is a lot of stress, particularly in today's world. My own children are virtually young adults, with one in work and one in college. I believe it is important and vital that parents spend as much time as possible with their children. It is really time well spent, and Senator Seery Kearney and the Minister of State are right in that regard.

The Government committed in the programme for Government 2020 to support parents, including by extending paid leave to allow parents to spend more time with their children during their earliest years. I wish to note that parent's leave is available to both employees and people who are self-employed. I think that many times in the past Governments forgot about the self-employed people. I refer to people with small businesses who were not making a lot of money. They could not get a medical card if they got sick and they could not get any benefits. Thankfully, such a situation is being rectified. Thankfully too, as we move on with situations like this, we make sure to ensure provision is extended to self-employed people.

We should note that the Government has committed to reviewing these provisions after two years to consider extending the right to request flexible working to all employees. Statutory domestic violence leave was also introduced under the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act. That makes Ireland one of the first countries in the EU to introduce such leave. All of this will stand to this country into the future.

Victims of domestic violence are entitled to five days leave over a period of 12 months, to be paid at 100% of the employee's normal rate thus ensuring the employee's economic situation will not be altered.The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth also commissioned Women's Aid to develop supports for employers to develop their own domestic violence workplace policies.

Persons are treated as being in employment while on parent's leave or any of the other types of statutory leave for parents. They are also entitled to return to their job after parent's leave. They can build up annual leave while on parent's leave and are entitled to any public holidays that occur during parent's leave. I have been asked whether people can get credited PRSI contributions while on parent's leave, and they can. It should be noted parents of children born between November 2019 and July 2020 do not qualify.

I cannot stress enough the importance of creating as much time as we can for children when they are young. It is time well spent. It can be very sad when we see parents having to rush from A to B to C, and it breaks their hearts that they do not have that time to spend with their children, so it is good the State is acknowledging this as a matter that has to be addressed. Coming from a rural area, I have been well aware over the years of what small employers do to facilitate people if they know they are under stress when a baby arrives. They are often flexible with the hours they give them and they try to help them out, and that should be acknowledged in this debate. It does not happen everywhere, but it often happens in family businesses where the employer says that if the employee is under pressure, they can take off a few extra days and work four days a week or whatever, and in doing that, they help those parents who are under a lot of stress.

As Senator Seery Kearney said and I am sure Senator Hoey will agree, today is a good day. I am glad to be part of the debate. Let us move on and ensure this extension happens as quickly as possible.