The legislation under my remit does not include specific provisions for employees to take time off work to attend medical appointments for cancer treatment.
The Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 provides working time protections such as entitlements to rest breaks, daily and weekly rest, maximum weekly working hours, public holidays and annual leave, among other provisions.
Entitlements to paid annual leave are set out in Section 19 of the Act. All employees, whether they are full-time, part-time, temporary or casual, earn annual leave entitlements from the time they start work. Section 19(2) of the Act states that a day which would be regarded as a day of annual leave shall, if the employee concerned is ill on that day and furnishes to his or her employer a certificate of a registered medical practitioner in respect of his or her illness, not be regarded, for the purposes of the Act, as a day of annual leave.
Ireland’s Statutory Sick Leave scheme was introduced under the Sick Leave Act 2022 and commenced in January 2023, initially providing employees with three paid sick days per year. This statutory entitlement increased to five days on 1 January 2024, giving workers greater paid protection during short term illness. The scheme requires employers to pay 70% of an employee’s normal earnings, up to a maximum of €110 per day.
The Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023, which inserts Section 13A into the Parental Leave Act 1998, provides up to five days of leave without pay for employees who need to give personal care or support to persons with a serious medical need who have a specified relationship with the employee, such as spouse or cohabitant. This Act falls under the remit of the Department of Children, Disability and Equality.
