Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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430. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to extend maternity leave going forward (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44789/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Under the Maternity Protection Acts 1994-2004, a pregnant employee is entitled to 26 weeks maternity leave and a maternity benefit is also payable. A further period of 16 weeks maternity leave may also be taken but there is no associated benefit.

The Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019 introduced two weeks paid parents leave for each parent, and this year I have, through the Family Leave and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2021, extended the entitlement to five weeks of leave for each relevant parent, to be taken in the first two years after the birth or adoptive placement of a child. The definition of relevant parent under the Act includes a parent of the child and the spouse, civil partner or cohabitant of a parent of the child.

The intention of parent’s leave is to enable parents to spend time with their child in the earliest years and is deliberately non-transferable between parents to ensure that both parents are encouraged and supported in taking time out from work to spend time with their child. This is further supported through the provision of Parent’s Benefit, which is paid at an equivalent rate to maternity, paternity and adoptive benefits at €245 per week. Taken together, these forms of family leave should support parents of very young children.