Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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267. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a family (details supplied) is eligible for the new two week paternity leave; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42600/19]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Parent’s Benefit is a new scheme which will provide two weeks paid leave to both parents, who are on parent's leave from work and covered by social insurance.  It will be available for the first year of a child’s life and will be paid at the same rate as that for maternity or paternity leave.  This leave will be available to parents of children born or placed with their adoptive parents on or after the implementation of the new scheme, effective from 1 November 2019.  

This new scheme does not impact on the paid or unpaid leave entitlements already in place and is in addition to that already available under maternity benefit (26 weeks paid and 16 weeks unpaid), paternity benefit (2 weeks paid) and unpaid parental leave (22 weeks).  The leave can also be taken immediately after maternity or paternity leave where this is certified by the employer.  Parent's leave can be taken in a single block or in 2 individual weeks which allows flexibility to parents to decide when best to avail of the leave.

Based on the information provided by the Deputy, it would appear that the family concerned will be able to avail of this new support.  Applications for the scheme will become available once the necessary legislation is enacted, which I expect will be the case over the coming weeks.

I trust this clarifies the matter.