Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 185: To ask the Minister for Finance the number of civil servants who took parental leave from employment in the period May to September 2008; the number of temporary staff employed to replace these persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38208/08]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Parental Leave Act 1998, the Parental Leave (Amendment) Act 2006 and the European Communities (Parental Leave) Regulations 2000 set out the statutory entitlement to Parental Leave. Under the terms of the Acts, an officer who is the natural or adoptive parent of a child shall be entitled to parental leave for a period of fourteen working weeks. The purpose of the leave is to enable a parent to take care of his/her child. The leave must be taken before the child attains the age of eight years or 16 years in the case of a child with a disability.

In the period from May to September 2008 a total of 25 staff of the Department of Finance took Parental Leave.

An officer may take the parental leave as follows:

(a) one continuous period of 14 weeks, or

(b) subject to the agreement of the Head of the Department concerned—

(i) one or more days on which, but for the leave, the officer would be working in the Department concerned

(ii) one or more hours during which but for the leave, the officer would be working in the Department concerned

(iii) any combination of periods referred to in subparagraphs (i) and (ii) above e.g. weekly blocks, monthly blocks etc.

Staff who are on Parental Leave are not replaced.