Parental Leave
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-17
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Mark Wall (LAB), Kildare South

Paternity leave is a fairly recent policy, introduced in 2016. In 2020, the uptake was 48.6%; in 2023, that increased to 54%. Of those who avail of paternity leave, only 43% go on to parent's leave. Compare that with those who start on maternity benefit, of whom 75% go on to parent's leave. Ireland offers €299 per week. For working families, this represents a 72% drop; that is the figure we have been given, based on quarter 1 average incomes. Other EU countries offer much more to parents. I again ask whether the Government is considering extending parent's leave. When will parents in this country see such an extension?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-17/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-17