Moriarty Says Blocking Of Bill To Share Maternity Leave Is Detrimental To Families

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Cllr Norma Moriarty.

FIANNA Fáil General Election Candidate for Kerry, Cllr. Norma Moriarty has said that the Government’s decision to vote down a Bill to support working parents share maternity leave is detrimental to families and hampering efforts to achieve greater gender quality.

Fianna Fáil introduced its Shared Maternity Benefit & Leave Bill 2018 in Dail Éireann last week, which would have allowed mothers to share their maternity leave with their partners, if they so choose.

Cllr. Moriarty added; “Despite widespread support from other opposition parties and TDs, the Government has decided to oppose our party’s Bill on shared maternity leave ahead of a vote on the legislation this Thursday.

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“On Tuesday, the Government launched a ten year strategy to much fanfare and claim that it will deliver a new model of parental support along with a range of options for parents. If that was truly the case then its’ very first measure would be to back this Bill.

“Fianna Fáil’s Shared Maternity Benefit & Leave Bill would go a long way to supporting both parents to have the option of staying home with their new born baby if they want to but instead the Minister for Employment Affairs & Social Protection, Regina Doherty will be blocking it.

“Allowing parents to share maternity leave facilitates greater gender pay equality, in so far as it allows both parents to share child rearing responsibilities. Broadening parental choice, promoting gender equality and supporting a healthy-work life balance should be a priority for this Government, not blocking meaningful attempts to introduce change.

“There’s a whole cohort of self-employed mothers that are not in the position to take their full maternity leave and that would change if our Bill was backed. It’s clear there is little or no interest in supporting mothers who need or would like to return to work before the maternity leave period is over,” she said.