Parent's Leave and Benefit Bill 2019

Public bill · Government · Presented

Sets up a new paid leave entitlement for each parent of a child under one, giving two weeks off work to care for or help care for the child, with a corresponding social welfare payment called parent’s benefit. It also protects workers from being punished for taking the leave, sets rules for notice, postponement and return to work, and allows the leave to be extended by order to as much as nine weeks in future. The changes apply to children born or adopted from 1 November 2019, and the document estimates the benefit will cost about €1.5 million in 2019 rising to €32 million a year, with much higher costs if the leave is later extended.

Formal long title

Bill entitled an Act to entitle certain employees who are relevant parents in relation to a child to employment leave for the purposes of enabling them to provide, or assist in the provision of, care to the child; to entitle certain employees who are surviving parents in relation to a child to employment leave on the death of a relevant parent; to provide for the payment of parent’s benefit to certain persons and, for that purpose, to amend the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005; for those purposes to provide for the consequential amendment of certain other enactments; and to provide for related matters.

Last updated 29 March 2021