16th July 2024
Budget 2024 announced an extension to Parent’s Leave from seven to nine weeks from 1 August 2024. The Department of Education has today published Circular 0058/2024, which updates the terms of the Parent’s Leave scheme for teachers.
The key provisions of the circular include:
- An additional two weeks of leave is available to relevant parents of children born or adopted on or after 1 August 2022.
- The leave must be taken within the first two years after birth, or within the first two years of the placement of the child in the case of adoption.
- The leave may be taken as a continuous period of nine weeks (63 consecutive days), nine instances of one-week blocks, or any combination, subject to a combined total of nine weeks.
- Due to the publication date of the amended legislation an exceptional arrangement is in place for August 2024. A 12-week extension may be facilitated, subject to certain criteria, to allow a teacher avail of the additional two weeks which have an intended commencement date in August/September 2024.
The INTO Leave Estimator will be updated in the coming days.
Notwithstanding representations being made, the INTO is bitterly disappointed that members who have made sufficient PRSI contributions, and who are eligible for parent’s benefit, will not have their salaries topped up by the DE while availing of Parent’s Leave.
INTO General Secretary John Boyle, while welcoming the additional two weeks of leave, challenged the position taken by the Government and stated:
It has been clear for some time that other EU member states aim to replace income to a greater extent than Ireland. The INTO feels strongly that if this Government was serious about supporting working families, this statutory leave entitlement would be fully paid in the public sector in line with other statutory paid leave schemes, such as maternity leave and paternity leave.