UP to 1,500 working parents in Clare will soon be able to spend an extra two weeks at home with their baby or newly adopted child.
That’s according to Fine Gael TD Joe Carey who says that new rules coming into effect from November 1, will see parents leave paid at the same rate as maternity and paternity benefits. He confirmed that the supports will be available to both employees and the self-employed.
The Clare TD said he hopes all new parents will avail of the scheme to give them more time with their children and promote a greater work-life balance.
The new Parental Leave and Benefit Bill will apply to parents of children either born or adopted from November 1st.
“Workers are taking advantage of the improved benefits for parents, with 25,000 fathers availing of the existing paternity leave scheme. Mothers will now be entitled to 28 weeks paid maternity leave, while fathers will be entitled to four weeks of paid paternity leave at a rate of €245 week,” Deputy Carey explained.
Parent’s Leave is the latest addition to a suite of measures to help new parents. The Parental Leave (Amendment) Act 2019 came into effect on September 1st, and extended optional, unpaid parental leave. The law allows parents to take up to 22 working weeks of unpaid parental leave, an extra four weeks on top of the previous entitlement.
