Working parents will soon be able to spend an extra two weeks at home with their baby or newly adopted child.

CIPD Ireland, the umbrella body for human resource and learning and development professionals in Ireland, said there is widespread confusion about the leave.

The Parental Leave Bill will come into force on September 1 this year.

Up to 60,000 parents a year are to gain new paid parental leave and benefit from November.

5,000 people have signed a petition calling on the government to support the Bill to extend Parental Leave.

Social Democrats co-leader Roisín Shortall is calling on the Government to “listen to parents” and support her Bill seeking to extend unpaid parental leave from 18 weeks to 26 weeks.

Parents could get up to seven weeks of paid parental leave while, furthermore, hot meals will be provided to children in disadvantaged schools as part of a new early childhood strategy.

The Government has rejected proposals that would allow parents to split paid maternity leave.

Working parents could be entitled to more unpaid maternity leave if proposals are passed in the Dáil this week.

Jen Hogan says the pros of parental leave — more time with the family — tend to outweigh the cons — less take-home pay.

Parents could be in for a further payment – of two weeks paid parental leave, under Government plans.

The Government will consider fresh proposals to extend unpaid parental leave to 26 weeks, which could help parents juggling care for babies and workplace commitments.

The Government will consider fresh proposals to extend unpaid parental leave to 26 weeks, which could help parents juggling care for babies and workplace commitments.

The Social Democrats are bringing a bill before the Dáil today which would give parents more unpaid leave to care for their children.

Paid parental leave is crucial to ensuring a level playing field for women in work, a Government minister has said.

Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has said he is taking parental leave this month to spend more time with his daughters.

The Labour leader says she will be campaigning in the election for three months of additional paid parental leave.

A new report, which was discussed by Ministers today, has called for paid parental leave to be extended to one year.

A raft of new proposals to “enhance” parental leave, extend free pre-school education, and “reform” State aid to young families are expected to be announced by the Government today.

Parental leave for the first year of a child’s life is crucial to address the practice of “six-month-old babies being dropped in their PJs to the creche at 6.45 every morning, where they are going to remain all day”, say children’s rights advocates.

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Any Government plans to allow parents to share up to year’s leave after having a baby must not dilute the existing 26 weeks guaranteed leave for mothers.

Potential plans to allow mothers double the amount of paid leave they receive after having a baby, and to receive extra weeks off if they split the time at home with their partner, will only improve child services if they are backed up by a series of other wide-ranging reforms.

Mothers could be allowed to double the amount of leave they take after having a baby and receive extra weeks off if they agree to split the time at home with their partner.