State doesn't know how many people avail of Parental Leave

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TheJackal

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Departmental Budgets

Departmental Budgets Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 July 2024
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PQ reply by Minister for Social Protection
Parental Leave allows parents to take 26 weeks unpaid leave for each eligible child before their twelfth birthday. My colleague the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth holds responsibility for Parental Leave. There is no associated benefit payable with Parental Leave.

It is not known how many people avail of Parental Leave and therefore it is not possible to estimate the cost of introducing a €300 weekly payment for people availing of the leave.
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Mad they don't know the number. Zero chance they'll ever introduce paid Parental Leave Benefit if they don't know the numbers availing of it.
 
TheJackal said:
www.oireachtas.ie

Departmental Budgets

Departmental Budgets Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 July 2024
www.oireachtas.ie

PQ reply by Minister for Social Protection

Mad they don't know the number. Zero chance they'll ever introduce paid Parental Leave Benefit if they don't know the numbers availing of it.
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is it mad? why would they know if its no cost to the state? they could add it into some of the inane CSO froms maybe.
 
Am wondering how they would know, except maybe for Civil Service employees. I worked a 4 day week for years and took the 5th day parental leave, its not like my boss had to document it or inform any authorities. I just got paid 20% less..
 
Yes, I meant mad as in I'd have thought they would track it.

We have legislated in recent years to increase it to 26 weeks and changed the max age your child can be to 16. I'd have thought these changes would be based on real data of numbers using it.
 
GAAmam said:
Am wondering how they would know, except maybe for Civil Service employees. I worked a 4 day week for years and took the 5th day parental leave, its not like my boss had to document it or inform any authorities. I just got paid 20% less..
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On a side note, the net effect isn't as bad as taking home 20% less salary. Depends on your tax bracket. But, since you're paid less you pay less tax. You won't be 20% out of pocket.

Also, there can be some savings made in not having to go to work: petrol, bus fare, lunches.

Parental leave is a great scheme that more people should consider!
 
There is no paper trail around it. If I move employers, no-one is checking if I have already used up all my parental leave. So it relies on the honesty of employees not to take more than their allowance - though I suspect in most cases it is underused rather than over. So 100% not surprised they have no idea. And yet payroll is asking for more and more minute details of BIK etc.
 
"You can get credited PRSI contributions while you are taking parental leave. Credited PRSI contributions can protect your social insurance record and your entitlement to benefits in the future. Your employer must write to the Client Eligibility Services section of Department of Social Protection (DSP), setting out the weeks you have not worked, so that you can get credited PRSI contributions for this time."
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Given the above, it seems curious that the DSP can't produce some numbers, based on the number of employers who have written to CES or the quantity of PL credits awarded!

(On reflection, the word "curious" could be replaced by the word "incredible"!)
 
Given that there’s no state involvement it makes no sense for them to record it. But a survey very few years might provide useful information for them as to the take up rate etc.

I know a few people who have changed jobs over the years and have taken lots of parental leave, way more than the law permits but it’s really a negotiation between them and their employer each time. Doesn’t seem to hurt their career or job mobility
 
A lot of folk take one day a week so they get the normal weekly PRSi credit and don't have to chase it down.
 
Parental leave is tracked in my company, you have to apply and you will get it if you are entitled to it. But once your legal right to it is used up, then of course you can negotiate a 4 day week etc but that is going from full time to part time and it should be open to anyone in the company whether they have children or not.

I don’t see the advantage to the government to give additional paid parental leave, they give paid maternity leave, give 2 years free childcare. I would prefer if they spent additional money on opening more government run child care.
 
I found it good to have a bit more time with the kids and facilitate playdates, visit my parents etc.
I was only down about 11% net but when the kids were very small was hard to source childcare for a 4 day week; creche only gave a small (circa 5%) discount - which I can understand as they have the same fixed costs; our old creche is now only offering a 5 day week. When we used a minder we paid them above average for the 4 day week and helped her get another job for the Friday.
The most negative part of it was that I found I was doing the same job in 4 (rather that 5 days), found myself in the office late nearly every Thursday. Whenever I mentioned it to my boss he'd say 'well come back 5 days so'!! Think it can work well for a job that can be quantified easier.
Am rambling now and off topic as to what the OP had opened the discussion for...
 
I note that the legislation (as amended) states:

27.—(1) An employer shall make a record of the parental leave and force majeure leave taken by his or her employees showing the period of employment of each employee and the dates and times upon which each employee was on parental leave or force majeure leave.
(2) A record made under this section shall be retained by the employer concerned for a period of 12 years and, if the Minister specifies the form of such records (which he or she is hereby empowered to do), the record shall be in that form or a form to the like effect.


But there's no requirement for the employer's record to be sent to any Government office.
 
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