On 25 March 2021, the Family Leave and Miscellaneous Provisions
Bill 2021 was passed by Dáil Éireann and was signed
into law over the weekend. As a result, changes to Parent's
Leave and Adoptive Leave announced in Budget 2021 are now in force.
Our Employment Group have set out these changes in the briefing
below.
Parent's Leave
Parent's Leave was introduced by the Parent's Leave and
Benefit Act 2019 (the "2019 Act"). A
welcome addition to the various types of family leave already
available to employee's in Ireland, the 2019 Act provided that
'relevant parents', were entitled to two weeks' paid
leave in respect of any child adopted by, or born to them on or
after 1 November 2019. Parent's Leave had to be taken within 52
weeks of the child's birth or, placement with their adoptive
family. Parent's Benefit is paid (subject to eligibility) at a
rate of €245 per week by the Department of Social Protection.
Within the first 10 months of the scheme's introduction,
