Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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211. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a person (details supplied) cannot get their pregnancy related sick leave discounted, because they have not got enough sick days yet, although the delay in Medmark assessing their case will mean that by September they will have to revert to half pay in the event of being sick. [24174/14]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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In the case of a teacher who is approaching maximum entitlement to paid sick leave under normal rules any period of pregnancy related sick leave may be discounted. In order to confirm that the absence was indeed pregnancy related, employers should seek the advice of Medmark who are the providers of the Occupational Health Service for teachers.

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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212. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the assessment that has taken place of the changes to the sick leave scheme whereby pregnant woman in the public sector are having their pay cut because of pregnancy-related illness being counted as sick leave; and his views that this is an incredibly backward step and discriminatory. [24175/14]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Following a review of sick leave arrangements, a new Public Service wide sick leave scheme has been introduced across the Public Service. The Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Act 2013, provided the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform with the power to make regulations that set out the specific details of the Public Service Sick Leave Scheme. These regulations are contained in SI 124 of 2014 and set out the terms for the granting of sick leave and come into effect in the education sector on 1 September 2014. The Regulations set out the provisions which relate to the interaction of pregnancy related illness with sick leave limits. The regulations outline how the time on half pay due to pregnancy related illness is protected.