Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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184. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the current position regarding the extension of the children’s age for which parental leave can be taken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9016/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The Parental Leave Act 1998 (as amended) provides parents with an entitlement of 26 weeks unpaid parental leave for each eligible child. The leave is available to a 'relevant parent' of a child, which is defined in the 1998 Act as a parent, an adoptive parent, or a person acting in ‘loco parentis’.

There have been significant developments in the entitlements to family leaves for working families in recent years, and this includes the extension of the parental leave entitlements in 2019 from 18 weeks to 26 weeks, and the extension of the time period in which the leave can be taken from when the child attains the age of 8 years to when the child attains the age of 12 years.

Where the child has a disability or long-term illness the leave can be taken until they attain the age of 16 years.

Family leave provisions are kept under review to ensure that they are appropriate to the needs of working parents. Mindful of the significant new leave entitlements being brought forward this year through the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022, however, there are no current plans to extend the entitlements to parental leave.