BUDGET 2016: Fathers will have option of two weeks’ leave

The country’s first-ever statutory paternity leave and paternity benefit for new fathers have been announced but dads-to-be shouldn’t get too expectant just yet as the measures will not be introduced for almost another year.

From next September, fathers will have the option of applying for two weeks’ leave from work to be taken any time in the first 28 weeks after their child’s birth.

They will also be able to claim benefit of €230 per week to offset the loss in earnings,based on the same PRSI contributions as required for maternity benefit.

The delay in implementing the new measures is down to law and IT. Both the leave and benefits require legislation to be passed, and the Department of Social Protection is having to reconfigure some of its computer systems to process the payments.

Social Protection Minister Joan Burton said that it particularly pleased her to be able to announce the historic changes. “It recognises the important role of fathers in bringing up their children,” she said.

It was one of a number of family-friendly measures announced by the Tánaiste who placed much emphasis on supports for low-income families.

After enduring sustained criticism from lone parents’ groups for moving many parents from the one-parent family payment to the transitional jobseeker’s payment earlier this year, Ms Burton did not row back on that decision but did ease up the restrictions on the amount recipients of this payment can earn from paid employment before losing benefits.

Under the new arrangement, recipients will be able to earn €90 per week, up from €60, before it affects their welfare payment. In addition, all earning above €90 are to be assessed at 50% instead of 60% before they affect welfare.

Ms Burton said about 5,900 lone parents would benefit.

“It gives lone-parent customers the flexibility to balance their work and caring responsibilities while also supporting them to move towards sustainable employment as their children get older,” she said.

One Family, a charity that supports single parent families, welcomed the increase in the income disregard but its chief executive Karen Kiernan said: “The Government has heaped cuts on those one-parent families who rely on social welfare in the past four budgets.

“However welcome this tweak is, much more needs to be done to provide a package of supports to help parents work and we haven’t seen any sign of that.”

In another move that will be of modest benefit to many lone parents and low-income parents in general, the threshold for the family income supplement is to increase by €5 per week for families with one child and by €10 for families with two or more children.

The measure, which takes effect from January, is expected to assist almost 60,000 families and Ms Burton said it would ensure that all people in work who had dependent children and were earning the minimum wage would get a FIS payment.

Changes in the PRSI credits for low income earners meanwhile are expected to benefit more than 88,000 people.

The class A rate of PRSI of 8.5% will apply to people who earn up to €424 a week whereas currently it only covers those earning up to €352.

In other small boosts for the lowest-earning workers, the top-up payments for those employment schemes such as Community Employment, Tus, the Rural Social Scheme, Gateway, and JobBridge will increase by €2.50 per week from January. Around 43,000 people are expected to benefit.

Opposition parties were unimpressed. Fianna Fáil said the measures announced amounted to no more than “gimmicks” which did not make up for the erosion in social protections over recent years.

Sinn Féin said the budget continued to show “callous disregard” for low-income families.