Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 342: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the way, under current rules, the taking of parental leave affects a worker's PRSI contribution record. [26445/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Parental Leave Act, 1998, allows fathers and mothers to take unpaid leave to look after young children. It may be taken either as a continuous block of 14 weeks or, with an employer's agreement, broken up over a period of time. The Act also allows limited paid leave, known as force majeure leave, of up to 3 days in any 12 months, or up to 5 days in any 36 months, to deal with emergencies resulting from a family member's injury or illness.

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. In these cases, employers should write to the Records Update Section in My Department confirming the number of weeks and the exact dates of the parental leave so that the appropriate number of credits can be awarded.

The necessity for the award of a credit will depend on the way the parental leave is structured. For example, if an employee works for part of a week it is likely that they will meet the €38 minimum earnings threshold and thereby make a PRSI contribution in the normal way. If, however, they take a full week of leave or fail to meet the threshold, a statement from their employer and subsequent award of a credit will be required. The PRSI Policy Section in my Department can provide the deputy with any further information she requires on this matter.