Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Question 149: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his plans to introduce paid paternity leave; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37636/06]

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 389: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the cost of the introduction of four weeks paternity leave where it would be paid at 100% of wages subject to a minimum rate of €216.80 per week and a maximum rate of €309.70 per week. [37429/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 149 and 389 together.

Paternity leave is generally understood to be a period of leave to which a male worker is entitled following the birth of his child. Employers are not obliged to grant male employees special paternity leave, either paid or unpaid, following the birth of their child. The question of a social insurance funded payment for paternity leave would be contingent on an underlying entitlement to statutory parental leave. In the absence of statutory provisions for entitlement to paternity leave, the question of making a social insurance based payment during such an absence does not arise.

Responsibility for questions relating to entitlement to paternity leave rests with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Under the aegis of his Department, entitlement to paid paternity leave was considered by the working group of social partners which undertook a review of the Parental Leave Act, 1998.

Their report, which was published in 2002, in dealing with the principle of paid paternity leave, states that the group had divergent points of view and could not reach a consensus on the issue. Therefore, no specific proposals for paid parental leave were advanced.

Should a legislative framework for paternity leave be introduced, the cost of the scheme for four weeks paid at 100% of wages subject to a minimum of €216.80 and a maximum rate of €309.70 per week, is estimated at some €74.5m. This is based on an assumption that all fathers would take the leave and 95% of them would be paid at the higher rate.

While male employees are not entitled under Irish law to either paid or unpaid paternity leave, they may be entitled to parental leave. Parental leave entitles both parents who qualify to take a period of up to 14 weeks' unpaid leave from employment in respect of children aged up to eight years of age. There is no provision for a social insurance based payment for periods of parental leave, but employees may be entitled to credited contributions to maintain their social insurance record for the period. Responsibility for the current provisions in relation to parental leave also rests with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

The introduction of paid parental leave or paternity leave would have significant cost implications for employers and/or the Exchequer and the social insurance fund.

Any proposals for introducing any such payments would have to be examined with regard to its effect on the social insurance fund and employers' costs and, in the case of paternity leave, would require legislation to provide for a statutory entitlement to the leave.