Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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248. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the timeline for the enactment of legislation to allow parents the right to apply to their employers for additional parental leave; and the reason for the length of time the process is taking. [3032/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The Parental Leave (Amendment) Act 2019 introduced a significant extension to the existing parental leave entitlements, raising the age of the child for whom parental leave may be taken from eight years to twelve. It also extended the parental leave entitlement by 8 weeks, on a phased basis. The last of these increases came into effect on 1 September 2020 and parents are now entitled to 26 weeks leave in total.

Mindful of the recent significant increase in parental leave entitlements, the Government has no plans to make any further amendments to this leave.

The Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019 introduced two weeks of paid parent’s leave for each parent to be taken in the first year after the birth or adoptive placement of a child.

Under proposals approved by Government in December 2020, each parent will be given an additional three weeks of paid parent's leave, and the period in which it can be taken will be extended to the first two years after the birth or adoptive placement of a child.

It is anticipated that the legislation will be introduced in early 2021.