Kathleen Funchion urges 12-week extension to maternity leave

Thanks very much Chair. First of all, like my colleagues, I'd like to also commend Deputy Coran, the Women's Council and all the mothers that campaigned. It shows what a group of strong women can do when they get together. It makes absolute common sense to extend maternity leave by 12 weeks. In the programme for government, the government actually talks about extending maternity leave, parental leave and paternity leave. So this is the perfect opportunity to show that you're serious. about that and to actually do something about it by taking real action and extending the maternity leave by 12 weeks. It's obviously a very exciting time for people, a new baby coming into the house, but for those of us that have gone through it and I've had two maternity leaves myself, it can be a very difficult and very stressful time and it can be anxious and there can be all sorts of things. I think one of the truest sayings is you have absolutely no idea until you've gone through it and see, you know, how difficult at times it can be and what new mothers have gone through in the last number of months has been absolutely unbelievable. There's the lack of family support, there's the very practical things that we've heard around public health visits, vaccinations, all of that sort of stuff. And this makes sense to give them a bit of extra time with their babies, time with other children as well, because everything all of a sudden just stopped. Schools were closed, creches were closed, you were dealing with people who have a new baby on your hands, potentially other children as well. And the reality is that was very difficult. And I think that this is an excellent opportunity, in fact, for the government to start out on a right note and on a good note, particularly with the women of this country. And as I say, you have it in your programme for government. And I think that this is an excellent opportunity for the government to start out on a right note and on a good note, particularly with the women government. So why not make a start now with this motion. I think in general, we all want to see an extension of maternity leave of parent of parental leave and paternity leave. And as I say, this, this is a, you know, a good way to actually start that. And I noticed, you know, that there's stuff about it being very technical and complex, and there's no way we can do it. And the reality is that there is a way to do everything if the political will is there. And that's what's lacking in this situation here. The political will is not there to do it. And I think it's actually the way the announcement was made about the three weeks extra parents' leave was actually a bit disingenuous, because I know I had people contacting me today, looking forward now thinking at the very least, they'll have three weeks now at the end of their maternity leave, which might be due to end in the next couple of weeks. And actually, they don't have that now until at least after November. You know, and the practicalities of asking people to send their very new babies when all of us are going around in masks and hand sanitising and rightly so, we're then asking people to put their very new babies that haven't been exposed to anything. that they've just been at home into a creche facility, if they can get a creche facility. It makes absolutely no sense. And I really think if the government is serious about addressing some of the issues, that this would be a good start and a good way to show that you are taking the issue seriously. Thank you, Chair.