Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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1351.To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he has any plans to align the qualifying age limit of the child, by which parental leave must be taken, between public sector and private sector workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[34321/24]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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1357.To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will introduce legislation extending parental leave to allow parents to take the leave before their child’s 16th birthday instead of their 12th birthday as at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[34368/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1351 and 1357 together.

Under the Parental Leave (Amendment) Act 2019, an employee who is a relevant parent in respect of a child under the age 12 is entitled to 26 weeks’ unpaid parental leave for each child. Where a child has a disability or long-term illness, the entitlement can continue until the child is 16. A relevant parent is a parent, an adoptive parent, or a person acting in ‘loco parentis’.

The Parental Leave (Amendment) Act 2019 raised the maximum age limit of the eligible child for which parental leave can be taken from 8 years to 12 years. There are no current plans to raise the age limit further.

It should be noted that the legislation only sets out the minimum entitlement to parental leave. Depending on an individual’s contract of employment, they may have more extensive rights to parental leave, as employers have the option to offer more than the entitlement set out in the legislation.

Family leave provisions are kept under review to ensure that they are effective and respond to the needs of families. Family leave entitlements are also mindful of the impact of the leaves on workplaces.

Considering the recent significant increase in family leave entitlements through the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023, the Government has no plans to make further amendments to parental leave entitlements.