Written answers

Tuesday, 14 June 2022

Department of Education and Skills

Parental Leave

Photo of Richard Boyd BarrettRichard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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930. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider making the temporary changes to the way that parental leave will be taken as laid out in information note TC 0003/2022 permanent to allow more flexibility for parents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28852/22]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Parental Leave Scheme for teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs) is regulated by the Parental Leave Act 1998, as amended. Parental Leave is a period of statutory unpaid leave available to a teacher or SNA for the purpose of caring for their child.

The terms and conditions of the Parental Leave Scheme are contained in my Department's Circular Letter 54/2019 for teachers and Circular Letter 27/2013 for SNAs. Under the Parental Leave Scheme, an eligible teacher or SNA may avail of Parental Leave in blocks of at least one week up to a maximum of 26 weeks in respect of each child up to the age of 13 years, or the age of 16 years in the case of a child with a disability/long-term illness. In certain circumstances a teacher or SNA may avail of Parental Leave in the form of individual days where a child has particular medical problems that require the attendance of a parent with the child at a hospital, clinic or therapeutic appointment on a regular basis.

In January 2022, my Department published Information Note TC 0001/2022 and in February 2022 Information Note TC 0003/2022 which outlined a temporary change to the Parental Leave Scheme for the remainder of the 2021/22 school year. This temporary arrangement permits employers to consider applications for Parental Leave in blocks of less than one week due to the specific circumstances existing, where more flexibility is required due to COVID-19.

My Department’s recently published Circular Letter 0038/2022 titled ‘COVID-19: Coronavirus (COVID-19): Updated Working Arrangements for Teachers and Special Needs Assistants employed in recognised Primary and Post Primary schools’ confirms that the current temporary changes to the Parental Leave Scheme will cease at the end of the 2021/22 school year and the terms and conditions of the Parental Leave Scheme, as published in the Parental Leave Schemes for teachers and SNAs will apply for the 2022/23 school year.

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