Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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614. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the additional paid parental leave announced as part of budget 2019 will be available to parents in respect of children born on or after the date of its announcement in Budget 2019; if it will only apply to parents in respect of children born on or after the date of its implementation in late 2019; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9394/19]

Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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615. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if there will be administrative or legal technicalities that would mean the exclusion of parents of children born in 2019 after the additional paid parental leave announced as part of budget 2019; her plans to include those parents with children born after the budget 2019 announcement in 2019 or who are still under one year of age when the scheme is implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9395/19]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 614 and 615 together.

In Budget 2019, I announced the introduction of a new social insurance based paid parental benefit scheme which will provide two weeks paid leave to both parents. This new scheme of parental benefit will support parents during the first year of the child's life and allows parents more flexibility in achieving and managing a work life balance. The scheme will be implemented in late 2019 and will be available to parents in respect of all children born on or after the date of its implementation, that is, children born from late 2019 onwards.

The conditions of the scheme will be provided for in legislation and are currently being examined as part of the legislative drafting process undertaken by my Department and the Department of Justice and Equality, which has overall responsibility for parental leave policy.

I trust this clarifies the matter at this time.