On 8 March 2013 the Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter signed
the European Union (Parental Leave) Regulations 2013 (SI 81/2013)
into law, transposing the provisions of the revised Parental Leave
Directive (EU Council Directive 2010/18/EU).
Under the Regulations, the entitlement to unpaid parental leave
has been increased from 14 to 18 weeks. The Regulations also
give parents a right to request a change in working hours for a set
period on return from parental leave. Employers are not required to
grant it, but under the Regulations they must now at least consider
it.
Parents can avail of the leave for each child under eight, but are
limited to 18 weeks per year if they have more than one child
except in the case of twins.
At the end of last year, the Government announced its plans for a
Family Leave Bill 2013 which will consolidate all family leave
legislation (parental leave, maternity leave, adoptive leave and
carer's leave) into one Act.
The Bill has not yet been published. However it is listed in the
current Government legislation for publication before the Easter
recess so it could appear over the next few weeks.
We will keep you updated on the publication and progress of the
Bill.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
