Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 April 2026
18. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Social Protection as part of the upcoming public consultation paper on pay-related parent's leave in Autumn 2026 to be led by his Department, if this will include specific consultation on other types of family leave and additional flexibilities such as the transferability of leave between parents, and extended leave for lone parents. [31456/26]
View answerParent’s Benefit provides nine weeks paid leave to parents during the first two years of a child’s life or following adoption. In reality, Parent’s Benefit is part of a suite of family leave which includes Maternity, Paternity, and Adoptive leaves, forming the core caregiving period for parents of new children. In total, parents are provided with up to 46 weeks of paid leave in the first two years of their child’s life or placement, in the case of adoption.
Parent’s Leave and Benefit were introduced in November 2019. Government has provided over €123m for the scheme in 2026.
The scheme provides each parent with nine weeks of non-transferrable leave to be taken within two years of the birth, or placement in the case of the adoption of a child. The nine weeks can be taken in any combination of minimum one week to a maximum of nine weeks leave.
The 2019 Act is in line with the EU Directive 2019/1158 on work-life balance for parents and carers. It provides that the nine weeks leave is non-transferrable to promote the equal participation of men and women in the workplace and in caring role. The department statistics for Q4 2025 show that 40 % of applicants to Parent’s Benefit were men, and 60% were women.
My colleague, the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality has policy and legal responsibility for all family leaves, including matters relating to transferability of leave and its duration. My Department has policy and legal responsibility for the associated benefit.
The Programme for Government commits to introducing Pay-Related Parent's Benefit and exploring other payments where a similar model could be applied. A pay-related model was introduced on 31 March 2025 for Jobseeker’s Benefit. My Department will draw on the learnings and operational experience from that scheme to inform the development of options for Parent's Benefit and other family leave schemes. Any future changes in this area will be subject to a public consultation process.
It must be noted that while Ireland currently pays a flat rate for all family leave benefits, we also provide one of the most generous durations of Maternity Leave, with 26 paid weeks and 16 unpaid weeks available to new mothers.
I trust this clarifies matter for the Deputy.
