Written answers
Tuesday, 7 November 2023
Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Parental Leave
Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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1084. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when he expects his Department to finalise the policy on the extension of parent's leave, as outlined in Budget 2024; if the additional two weeks of parent's leave will be backdated to budget day (10 October 2023); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48718/23]
Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Currently, seven weeks Parent's Leave and Benefit is available to all eligible parents of children born or adopted from 1 November 2019. The leave and benefit must be availed of within the first two years of the child’s life or adoptive placement.
In line with the EU Work-Life Balance Directive, Parent’s Leave and Benefit is required to increase by an additional two weeks to nine weeks by August 2024.
In Budget 2024, the Government provided for the number of weeks of Parent's Leave and Benefit available to eligible parents to be increased from seven weeks to nine weeks from August 2024. The additional two weeks leave and benefit will apply to parents of children who are under age two in August 2024 or, in the case of adoption, where less than two years have passed since the child's placement. The Department of Social Protection is responsible for the associated changes to Parent's Benefit for the increased period of leave.
All forms of family leave are kept under review to ensure that they are effective in supporting families and children.
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