- Cabinet approves drafting of Bill to extend paid Parent’s Leave from two weeks to five
- Cabinet also approves provisions to amend Adoptive Leave Act 1995 to allow male same-sex couples avail of adoptive leave
Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman TD, has secured Cabinet approval to extend paid Parent’s Leave.
The Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019 introduced two weeks of paid Parent’s Leave for each parent to be taken in the first year after the birth or adoptive placement of a child.
Under proposals approved by Government, each parent will be given an additional three weeks leave, and the period in which it can be taken will be extended to the first two years after the birth or adoptive placement of a child.
It is anticipated that the legislation will be introduced in the New Year.
Speaking after the Cabinet meeting today, Minister O’Gorman said:
We’re committed to ensuring every child gets the best possible start in life, and supporting parents to spend more time with their kids is a big part of that. I hope this five weeks paid parent’s leave will help mothers and fathers take that time in those precious first couple of years with their child.
The Cabinet also approved the inclusion of provisions to amend the Adoptive Leave Act 1995 alongside the extension of Parent’s Leave and Benefit. Intended to enable married male same-sex adopting couples to avail of adoptive leave, the provisions will also allow all adopting couples to choose who should take the leave.
Speaking about the amends to the Adoptive Leave Act, Minister O’Gorman said:
I am happy to be in a position to advance these important amendments to the Adoptive Leave Act 1995. Addressing the access to adoptive leave and benefit by married male same-sex couples is an important commitment in the Programme for Government which is of great importance for couples seeking to adopt.
The Minister went on to say
Allowing couples to choose who avails of adoptive leave is also important for all couples, as it allows us to move past the gender norms which place the burden of childcare disproportionately on women.
Information for editors:
Parents’ Leave
Parents will be able to avail of the additional leave after the legislation is commenced, and it will be available to parents whose child is born after November 2019.
The extension of parent's benefit is a matter for the Minister for Social Protection. Changes to the IT system to implement the extension of Parent’s Leave is expected to take until April 2021. Minister O’Gorman is currently examining whether backdated payments can be made for individuals who take the additional Parent’s Leave prior to the IT changes being made.
Adoptive Leave (Amendment) Bill
On 22 October 2019, the previous Government approved the general scheme of the Adoptive Leave (Amendment) Bill to amend the Adoptive Leave Act 1995. The scheme provides for married male same-sex adopting couples to be eligible for adoptive leave and benefit. It also provides for all adopting couples – same-sex and opposite-sex – to be able to choose which of the couple should take the adoptive leave. At the moment, adoptive leave is structured so that the adopting mother takes the leave. The new provisions would enable either the adopting mother or the adopting father to be eligible to take adoptive leave once the choice has been made by the couple.