Maternity Protection, Employment Equality and Preservation of Certain Records Act 2024
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Maternity leave for member of Houses of Oireachtas | ||
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4. (1) Any absence by a member from performing duties as such a member, duly notified to the Ceann Comhairle or to the Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann, as may be appropriate, during a period (whether or not deferred or paused in the event of the member having a serious health condition) of up to 26 weeks starting no earlier than 2 weeks before the end of the expected week of, and no later than the date of, the member’s giving birth to a child, shall be called maternity leave for a member of the Houses of the Oireachtas. | ||
(2) The reference to absence in subsection (1) shall be construed as a reference to any absence connected with the member’s pregnancy and giving birth to a child. | ||
(3) In this section— | ||
(a) “member” means— | ||
(i) a member for the time being of Dáil Éireann, or | ||
(ii) a member for the time being of Seanad Éireann, | ||
and | ||
(b) a reference to the date of the member’s giving birth to a child shall— | ||
(i) be construed as a reference to the date of the member’s giving birth to a living child, or to a stillborn child (within the meaning of the Civil Registration Act 2004 ), and | ||
(ii) subject to subparagraph (i), include, where appropriate, the date of the member’s giving birth to a child occurring more than 2 weeks before the end of the member’s expected week of giving birth to the child. |