I am happy to be able to introduce this Bill. It is one of Ireland's most ambitious Bills dedicated solely to improving work–life balance. I look forward to the detailed discussion we are going to have. Not only will the Bill transpose EU law on work–life balance for parents and carers but it will also implement some important programme for Government commitments. It delivers a right to request flexible working so mothers, fathers and carers can be present for their children and families. It will deliver five days …

My reading of the legislation is similar to that of Senator Seery Kearney in that the proposed amendment would appear to reduce the 26-week period to one week. As drafted, it would mean that only previous employment in the past week would qualify as continuous service for the purpose of calculation. I do not believe that is the intention of the Senator in the circumstances but it is the result of the amendment proposed.

Section 6 inserts a new section 13A into the Parental Leave Act 1998 to provide for an entitlement to leave for medical care purposes for parents and carers. This amendment would extend the cohort of parents and carers who are entitled to avail of leave for medical care purposes. I appreciate that there is a wide range of potential caring relationships but the Bill very much follows the definitions set out in the EU work-life balance directive, which is itself very broad and encompasses a significant range of famil…

If the grandchild needs a parent or grandparent, that parent or grandparent can-----

If the grandchild needs-----

In line with Article 6 of the work-life balance directive, the Bill provides for five days leave for medical care purposes. The amendment would extend this entitlement to ten days. The Bill is introducing a range of new entitlements, and that is positive. These entitlements have been discussed at length with social partners, unions and representatives of employers. I have engaged in some of those negotiations, as have my officials. It has to be understood in the context of other developments, such as the extension …

This amendment intends to remove from the Bill the provisions related to the ability of an employer to seek relative evidence of the circumstances in which an employee is taking leave for medical care purposes. The touchstone of policy development from a data protection perspective is that the design of the system should seek to achieve the minimum invasion of privacy rights, be they third party or otherwise, while also achieving the legitimate objective of ensuring that the employer concerned has the sufficient in…

As I said before, we are reasonably confident we have achieved the right balance in the standards set. It is clear that what has been looked for here is whether the relationship between the employee seeking the leave and the individual is meeting the criteria of the directive in terms of the named relationships that are set out. I will chat to officials and confirm that we are happy that the right balance has been reached.

These amendments are to correct drafting errors in the Bill as passed by Dáil Éireann. They ensure that the provisions of the Bill are technically correct and make no amendments to what is provided for. These amendments correct spelling errors where they occur, revise punctuation and insert accurate references, such as replacing “section 13F” with “section 13F(3)”. I recommend to the committee that these amendments are accepted.

This amendment proposes to amend section 13AA(1), which provides for the circumstances in which an employee is entitled to domestic violence leave. The amendment does not make any policy changes, but merely rewords the section for drafting clarity, including ensuring that the list of purposes for which an employee can avail of the leave is not exhaustive.

It is important to state that the issue is not about whether to provide domestic leave but rather the rate. That was misstated earlier. The introduction of new leave is negotiated with the social partners with whom the Government engages. As part of that engagement, some small employer groups raised real and genuine concerns, considering their circumstances, about the introduction of this leave, particularly as paid leave. Nevertheless, it is important the Government has taken the important step of going ahead. The…

Section 8 inserts a new Part IIA into the Parental Leave Act to provide for a right to request a flexible working arrangement for caring purposes. The provisions of the new Part IIA go towards the transposition of Article 9 of the work-life balance directive. Part IIA has been carefully drafted to ensure that the directive is correctly transposed and provides the right to parents and those providing personal care or support for serious medical reasons to be a person who falls within the range of family or personal …

I thank the Senators. There are several amendments which seek to amend the age limits at which a parent of a child is entitled to leave for medical care purposes and a request for flexible working arrangements. The age limits for relevant parents to request a flexible working arrangement for care purposes are aligned to the age limits for applications for parental leave, that is, the leave can be taken before the child's 12th birthday, or 16th birthday if the child has a disability or long-term illness, or the arra…

Disability allowance is a matter for the Department of Social Protection.

I cannot give the Senator that answer but I trust the Senator.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I join her in welcoming Mick to the Gallery. I am glad of the opportunity to speak on the record of the House on this issue. Reports of historical sexual abuse in St. John Ambulance in the 1990s have been highlighted in recent years by a number of Deputies and Senators. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, highlighted it when she was in opposition. I engaged with St. John Ambulance in 2021 regarding how the organisation proposed to respond to these reports. Dr…

Like the Deputy, I see the strong support across both Houses for swift publication of this report. I spoke in the Seanad just before Christmas during statements there on the importance of rapid publication. This review of practices within St. John Ambulance has been asked for by survivors for a long time. It is extremely important to them in their ability to seek - I do not want to use the word "closure" - a recognition of what happened to them, not only the sexual abuse itself but the manner in which their complai…

As the Deputy knows, the State is accommodating 54,000 Ukrainians right now. Of those, 46,000 are in hotels and guesthouses. That is more than 700 individual contracts. I recognise that in the latter half of last year a backlog grew in regard to prompt payment. We put in additional resources to address that. We shrunk the backlog. We did not entirely clear it. We will work with the Deputy in regard to the particular provider of whom she spoke. I take on board the point on communication. It is important. When we are…

I would advise them to contact the local authority. The local authorities are now doing the vacant homes call. That is the route they should take.

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "That" and substitute the following: "Dáil Éireann resolves that the Parental Bereavement Leave (Amendment) Bill 2021 be deemed to be read a second time this day 12 months, to allow for time to further examine the issues raised in the Bill alongside existing work to examine the workplace impact of pregnancy loss and miscarriage leave.". I thank Deputies Cronin and O'Reilly for bringing forward this Private Member's Bill which the Government will not be opposing, alt…