Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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92. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the status of the proposed extension of parental leave; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13287/18]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Programme for Partnership Government includes a commitment to increase paid leave for parents during the first year of a child’s life, as research shows that parental care is of particular importance during this time.  The Government has established an interdepartmental working group to develop proposals to give effect to this commitment and I expect it to make its report at the end of next month.

The Government’s commitment to introduce a paid parental leave entitlement is also in keeping with the policy approach put forward by the European Commission's proposal for a work-life balance directive. The key proposal in the Directive is that parental leave should be made available to parents on a paid basis, and it is currently under discussion at working group level.