Meanwhile, justice minister Helen McEntee has welcomed a Labour Party private members’ bill – the Sick Leave and Parental Leave (Covid-19) Bill 2020 as an important contribution to the debate in this area.
Extension
It calls for an extension of force majeure parental leave where a child’s school or childcare provider is closed due to an outbreak of COVID-19.
Force Majeure leave is a form of paid leave provided for under the Parental Leave Act 1988 and the Parental Leave (Amendment) Act 2006.
It is intended to provide for short periods of leave for urgent family situations where a close family member is ill or has been injured. The maximum amount of leave allowable is three days in any 12-month period or five days in a 36-month period.
The minister said in the Dáil that the proposed legislation however would place this leave on a more long-term footing similar to other family leaves but without considering the necessity for some notice period.
Approach
She said this would need to be looked at closely and that the bill also does not take account of possible work-from-home arrangements that may be in place.
A consultation between the Minister for Social Protection and the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and unions and employers is the correct approach, the minister continued.
This will ensure that proper consideration is given to reforming Ireland’s statutory sick pay laws and any related change to illness benefit.
It will allow research into the extent of the problems identified by the bill, she continued.
Evaluation
It will also allow a full evaluation of the costs (the Bill as drafted) would place on employers, particularly small and medium sized enterprises that have been severely hit by COVID-19.
“It appears that the Bill as drafted would place most if not all of the cost of these proposals on employers at a time when many businesses are struggling to keep their doors open and their employees in jobs.
“The Government is committed to supporting working parents and to developing solutions that will meet their needs,” she concluded.
Meanwhile, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar has confirmed that he is a close contact of a confirmed case of the virus.
Close contact
“Yesterday I was informed that I was a close contact of someone who tested positive for Covid 19. I was swabbed yesterday and the test has come back negative,” he said.
“In line with public health advice, I will be restricting my movements to home and outdoor exercise. There are no implications for anyone who has been in close contact with me. I am perfectly well and will be working from home.”