There was good news for some 40,000 fathers recently as the Government confirmed they will be entitled to at least two weeks paternity leave from this coming September.
The new legislation which was introduced by the Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald will allow new fathers, including fathers of adopted children, to take paternity leave and a minimum paternity benefit of €230 a week for two weeks at any time within the first six months of birth. Reports suggest it will cost the State €20 million a year to implement the plan but it will bring Ireland inline with other EU member states.
Speaking about the introduction of the new bill Ms Fitzgerald said it was important for fathers to be involved at the earliest stages of a child’s development. The State would be taking a “most humane approach”. If a baby is stillborn or dies, “the entitlement to paternity leave still continues and, if one parent dies, the other parent inherits whatever leave has not been taken”.