Six months’ paid maternity leave part of package
The move is part of a package of proposals set to come before the Cabinet for approval and would cost €190 million over the first three years.
The present 18-week- entitlement allowed to mothers in the Republic lags well behind other EU nations as Britons enjoy 26 weeks and Finns nine months.
The proposal to extend paid leave to six months was presented to a Cabinet sub-committee considering ways to ease Ireland’s child care crisis last week by Minister for Children Brian Lenihan.
An initiative to bring in unpaid parental leave of up to 12 months - which could be split between mother and father - is also being actively looked at.
The Government has been stung into action on the issue due to fears of big losses in the “baby belt” constituencies around Dublin and other major urban centres following Fianna Fáil’s drubbing in recent by-elections.
Finance Minister Brian Cowen is set to use the December 7 Budget as the launching pad for the new “child-friendly” agenda.
A Government insider insisted FF needed to get its act together rapidly.
“This needs to be kicked-off in the budget and then rolled out fully by the middle of next year.
“The Government has taken a real battering on child care and this is the last chance to get things right.
“It’s too close to the December budget to have everything in place by then, but that will have to fire the starting pistol, then the whole thing can be launched - probably in the early summer - when it will get a lot more attention on it’s own.”
Children’s Minister Mr Lenihan made it clear the Coalition was minded to move decisively on maternity leave entitlement.
“There seems to be a strong consensus in Government that extending maternity leave is something that we have to do,” he said.
“I know the Taoiseach himself is very committed to this,” he added.
Labour Deputy Leader and Health Spokesperson Liz McManus welcomed the six-month-paid-leave initiative, but warned it did not go far enough. She said: “This is the least that should be done. This Government has promised so much to young families and delivered so little, I think they are really beginning to panic.”
Business leaders reacted angrily to the proposals.
“I would obviously have reservations because this is going to impact on competitiveness,” said Irish Business and Employers Confederation head Turlough O’Sullivan.
