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SOME 7,000 FATHERS have availed of the paternity benefit scheme since it was introduced last September.
The initiative allows fathers to take two weeks off work to help care for their newborns, while receiving a payment of €230 per week.
Up to the end of January, 8,184 applications for the scheme had been received, with 6,851 of these being accepted.
Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar said the number of claims received to date is broadly in line with his department’s estimation that it could receive between 20,000 and 30,000 applications annually.
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Paternity benefit has the same qualifying PRSI conditionality as maternity benefit. It is only payable to employees and self-employed people who have the required number of PRSI contributions. Paid maternity leave of 26 weeks is offered to mothers.
No plans for mandatory system
Speaking in the Dáil recently, Varadkar said: “It is important to note that the legislation ensures no statutory obligation on an employer to continue to pay the normal salary during paternity leave. Employers have the option of providing a further top-up to the father’s regular salary if they so choose.
In drafting the legislation we had to be conscious, in this regard, of limiting the potential additional costs for business. However, a number of employers do top up their employees’ paternity benefit in much the same way as they offer to top up maternity benefit.
“There are a number of factors that determine the take up of any new scheme including, parental choice, whether the father or relevant parent has sufficient PRSI contributions, whether they are self-employed and can afford to take the time off from their business and, if an employee, whether or not their employer would top up their wages.”
Varadkar added that he has no plans to introduce a mandatory system of paid paternity leave.
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What should be pointed out to Roscommon people is that in 2009 they vote by about 72% for FG and FF, in the GE, a lot copped on but 56% still voted for the them. If you vote in those kinds of no’s for parties that have consistently bankrupted the country, again and again, broke European records for economic mismanagement, and have always warped the state so as to look after a select few, then you can hardly be surprised when they back stab you again and again.
Because if people vote FG they should expect their TD to keep with government policy, the Dáil is a national assembly and should be doing what benefits the nation as a whole not bowing to the likes of the Healy raes, lowerys and now Naughten
Aideen i think youre looking at this issue very negatively and with tunnel vision. He stood by what he promised, infact what FG as a party promised to get into the Dail, and what they as a party fought against in opposition so Mr Naughton is the only one sticking with the original party policy! And it is nothing like healy rae, this is a problem affecting people all over the country, the people in Monaghan,Meath and Louth are in the same boat! In my opinion your argument is short sighted and holds absolutley no weight!
I think that people know that their lives are being put in the firing line so that the friends and donors of FG and FF can be protected. Any chance that we’ll see the hold of the kings inn be broken for barristers, introduce a lot more competition in to the legal market and force down rates aggressively, any chance that the pension tax relief will be capped, so that it doesn’t overwhelmingly favour the richest, any chance that Govt. contracts will be reviewed so that relatives and supporters of FF will not be given inflated contracts by the Govt. Any chance that they will aggressively burn bondholders, like any normal country will do, any chance that they will significantly reduce the buy to let subsidies, writing interest of loan against tax, at least cap it. We could be here a month pointing out the larger fruit that they could aim for but we all know well that FG TD’s will never do that because most of the above are their friends and FF will not do it because they are the people above.
Party whip system is a joke to be honest and is completely anti-democratic by clearly not representing the views of the local constituents.
At least in the US their democracy is mature enough to recognise that a Congressman can vote what ever way they see fit in the circumstances.
And then when their election comes around they are judged by the people on their individual voting record rather than hiding behind the party whip as our lot love to do.
“It wasn’t me, it was your man over there in the next parish!, I was just following orders”
Agree that the party whip system is a joke, but, as unpopular as this sounds I think it s refreshing to finally see a brave td willing to make local sacrifices for the overall national picture. And amongst pretty heavy handed bullying from both sides.
Ming the Populist is now Ming the Merciless , typically Irish protest over a local matter , how many in Roscommon marched to save the economy , not many i bet.
I have to disagree with that, TD’s should only look at the constituency for 20% of the time and the rest should be national. We need to really up the power of the local councils, like a normal European country, the days of the TD throwing tar on the road have to end. It is killing the country and it has destroyed rural Ireland. The link between the TD and the Parish has to be broken, bigger electoral areas could do that.
If I promise something to my employers and don’t deliver, I’d be expected to resign or be fired. I see no reason why it should be any different in politics. If we, the constituents, are promised something by our politicians in order for us to give them the job (our votes), then that’s what they should deliver. If they don’t, they have no business being in the job.
If politicians jobs were on the line for their promises then maybe we’d see less unrealistic promises being made.
district one: cavan, monaghan, louth meath, district 2: kildare offaly laois, carlow D3: westmeath leitrim longford,roscomman 4 sligo mayo donegal, 5: kerry limerick clare, 7 wexford wicklow killkenny tipp, 8 dublin, 9 cork 10 galway, just an example of a point I made in another article last week, let each district elect there own local government, to deal with parish pump issues simaler to the usa system, elect a 2 TDS from each county to serve on main government to serve the state, and problem solved
Hopefully this will sound the death knell for political parties in Ireland. A politicians job should be to carry out the will of the people who elect them. Whats the point otherwise? There always seems to be money in Ireland for banks, politicians mistakes, and the outrageous salaries and pensions of those who sup at our numerous golden troughs.
Here's the full list of ready-made meals recalled by the food safety watchdog
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