The lack of maternity leave for public representatives is a “glaring barrier” for women who want to enter politics, a TD has claimed. Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns said she is pushing for legislation to permit maternity leave for elected officials, following Minister for Justice Helen McEntee’s announcement that she is pregnant. Meanwhile, Fine Gael TD Jennifer Carroll MacNeill introduced a Bill on Tuesday to enable remote voting in the Oireachtas, a move which, she said, could “remove the barrier to maternity leave” for politicians. “We have had lots of talk about maternity leave for politicians. This Bill is part of that conversation and is one of the first steps towards flexible maternity provision for TDs and Senators.

Source: The Irish Times December 08, 2020 19:41 UTC