Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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204. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when the recommendations regarding paternity and parental leave, and family friendly working hours for councillors proposed by the cross-party all-female councillor sub-group in 2021 will be implemented. [22261/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The cross party group referenced, which comprised a representative group of women councillors from across Ireland, was convened in March 2021 to examine issues associated with maternity leave and related supports for local authority elected members. The group met a number of times in 2021 and their deliberations provided greater understanding of the needs of women councillors and were instrumental in the development of a policy approach in relation, in particular, to maternity leave and supports for female councillors. 

The Local Government (Maternity Protection and Other Measures for members of Local Authorities) Act 2022 was subsequently approved by the Oireachtas and came into force in December 2022. The legislation provides that elected members of local authorities can, for the first time, avail of maternity leave. They may also seek to appoint an individual as a temporary substitute should they wish to avail of a period of maternity-related absence or if they are absent due to illness.

The urgent priority in 2022 was to address the maternity leave issue, which was considered a significant obstacle to the participation of women in local government.  While this legislation was going through the Oireachtas in late 2022, the then Minister recognised that other family related leave remained outstanding and undertook to try to address them at a later stage.  In the meantime, it is the case that councillors can be absent for up to 6 months under Section 18 of the Local Government Act 2001 (as amended).

Separately, and to ensure a family focused package of supports, my Department is currently finalising regulations which will provide that elected members will be able to avail of an allowance for administrative assistance if they avail of or are entitled to maternity leave. 

In relation to working hours, the timing of Council meetings is a matter for elected Councils under standing orders.  However, the Department has put in place arrangements to facilitate the holding of remote meetings and voting, should Councils wish to avail of them, which is a supportive measure for councillors with caring responsibilities. My Department also continues to offer funding support to local authorities in their efforts to make local government more accessible to all.

My Department has also funded, through our partners, research into the area of family friendly politics. For example, in September 2022, the National Women’s Council published their “Toolkit for Local Authorities on Supporting Family-Friendly Local Government”, which offers recommendations geared towards assisting both officials and councillors in making the role of local authority members more manageable and sustainable.