Paternity leave ‘on way’

Minister Lynch throws weight behind scheme to let fathers get share of maternity leave

MOTHERS will be able to gift some of their maternity leave to their partners under proposed new legislation.

The proposed new legislation comes following revelations in the Irish Daily Mail at the end of last year that the Minister for Children Frances FitzGerald was keen to roll out such a scheme.

Now Junior Minister for Disability, Older People, Equality and Mental Health Kathleen Lynch has said that the Department of Justice is ‘actively’ working on proposals to allow fathers to share some of the statutory 26 weeks’ leave given to mothers.

Two weeks of a mother’s maternity leave could be given to their child’s father under legislation being considered by the government.

The fortnight would be deducted from the statutory 26-week maternity leave currently in place.

But the National Women’s Council of Ireland opposes the proposed changes as women would lose their guaranteed 26 weeks’ paid leave.

‘It’s trying to provide paternity leave on the cheap because it’s not providing any other entitlement,’ the organisation’s director Orla O’Connor said.

‘ We should keep the f i rst six months’ maternity leave then following that period there should be six months’ parental leave.’

It is understood that also under consideration is allowing parents to share the 26 weeks more equally.

‘We intend to have serious proposals prepared before the end of the year,’ Ms Lynch told the Sunday Times newspaper. ‘In terms of the bill itself, we would be ensuring the power to decide on the parental leave is always vested in the mother.’

But she added: ‘A lot of complicating factors need to be worked out.

‘For example, with the idea of allowing both parents to step in and out of leave, the Department of Social Protection says that would be very difficult to manage, in terms of payments,’ she said.

The Department of Justice has already had some discussions on the matter with interested parties, such as employers’ representatives, women’s groups, and other government departments.

Ms Lynch acknowledged the concerns of the Women’s Council, saying many people had expressed concerns at the implications of introducing paternity leave.

Among these concerns are the cost for employers and the reduction of maternity leave for mothers.

An expert group recommended to Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald last September that the government allow fathers to share maternity leave, but only when paid leave is extended to a full year. Under the proposal, a mother would get six months’ leave while the subsequent six months could be shared between both parents.

Ms Fitzgerald said she was in favour of increasing maternity leave to a year, over a five-year period, and also that she wants fathers to be able to share in this leave.

Ireland would then be in line with Britain where a woman is entitled to

‘Paternity leave on the cheap’

52 weeks’ maternity leave and a father gets up to two weeks’ leave when the child is born and can also share up to 26 weeks of the mother’s leave when she returns to work.

The government did not oppose a paternity leave bill brought to the Seanad by Fianna Fáil senator Mary White two weeks ago, but Ms Lynch said it would need amendments.