Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 April 2026
93. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Social Protection whether the variance in corporate top-ups will be taken into consideration as part of the upcoming public consultation paper on pay-related parent’s leave. [31451/26]
View answerMy 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 in a first instance 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; however, it should be noted that salary top-ups during Parent’s Leave are a contractual arrangement between employers and their employees.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
