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23rd April 2019
11:21am BST

"Firstly, in that formative first year of life, children now have the opportunity to spend more time with both parents. "Secondly, on top of the recently introduced Paternity Benefit, this extends the leave benefits available to fathers."
Speaking on Morning Ireland today, Minister Doherty said that the parental leave will be non-transferable in the hope of shifting a "culture change" where children are able to spend as much time with each of their parents.
She also said that it was just as important for new dads to spend time with their children during their first formative year.
"The evidence shows that when fathers take a more significant and meaningful share in the parenting of their children, the individual family benefits," she said.
"So does wider society, and by encouraging more fathers to take time off, we are in a position to challenge the existing culture regarding work and gender.”
The new scheme will be in operation by November of this year.Explore more on these topics: