Locations
In one of our more recent blogs we informed you that the current Government has approved proposals to introduce 2 weeks’ paternity leave. The legislation required to introduce the benefit, which is currently in its second draft at the Office of the Attorney General, will be put before the Oireachtas ahead of the summer recess with a view to the legislation being rolled out in September 2016.
However, whether or not the legislation will be rolled out in time will largely depend on the priorities of the next government. It may be that whatever party is successful in the upcoming election will take the opportunity to introduce other changes to the maternity / paternity leave regime. Indeed, it appears from a review of their manifestos that each party is promising some change to the current regime. We have set out below what each party has to say in their manifesto in relation to changes to maternity/paternity leave entitlements.
Fine Gael
- Introduce 2 weeks’ paternity leave from September 2016 (as announced in Budget 2016).
- Introduction of an additional 8 weeks’ paid leave for parents of infants (less than 2 years) by 2020.
Fianna Fáil
- Expand state maternity benefit to 30 weeks and allow leave to be shared between parents.
- Expand parental leave entitlements for parents up until their child is 12 years old
Sinn Fein
- Extend maternity leave to 52 weeks over the lifetime of the government.
- Increase the rate of maternity benefit to €260 per week.
- Extend parental leave to 52 weeks.
Labour
- Increase parental leave by three months, to be shared by both parents.
- Introduce a further two weeks paid paternity leave (in addition to the weeks proposed paternity leave which is due to be implemented in September 2016).
- Commission a review of the level of payment given for maternity, paternity and parental leave and explore the potential to legislate for negotiated flexible working time arrangements for workers with young families.
This is certainly an area of law that is likely to evolve over the next few years in line with other European countries. We will bring you further updates on this, and other matters that may affect your business, over the next few months.
For further information or advice on this matter please contact Julie Austin.