Paternity benefit of up to two weeks is expected to be included in Budget 2016, but a new Government report on childcare recommends that paid parental leave should be stretched to six months, in addition to maternity benefit.
Childcare will be a key issue in the next General Election, with squeezed tax-paying parents handing over more of their salaries to childcare providers than most other countries.
According to the draft report, the plan aims “to increase parental choice to remain as the primary care-giver of their child in the first year of life and to provide as much support as possible to the developing relationship between the parents and the child.”
“The proposal is for the conversion of existing unpaid maternity leave to paid parental leave with the option for some sharing of the additional paid element between both parents,”
Both Fine Gael and Labour are expected to endorse the report, which, according to the Irish Independent, calls for the following:
- extension of the Early School Year;
- rationalising existing childcare subvention schemes to a single scheme;
- six months’ paid parental leave in addition to maternity benefit;
- paternity benefit paid for by the State of one or two weeks.
It all sounds very positive, but don’t hold your breath: The measure could take up to 10 years to implement, with sources saying the parental leave is likely to be introduced gradually from one month to six.
