Archibald publishes report on carer’s leave
Date published:
Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald has today published an Ulster University Economic Policy Centre (UUEPC) briefing paper on carer’s leave.
The Minister recently outlined proposals for a ‘Good Jobs’ Employment Rights Bill. A key component of this Bill will be the introduction of a right of up to five days of unpaid leave for carers.
Minister Archibald said:
“Those caring for relatives, or dependants with a long term care need, play a vital role in our society. This frequently entails great personal commitment and sacrifice, and can in turn impact their ability to work. I am grateful to UUEPC for providing this report which has helped shape my policy proposals. I plan to put forward legislation which will, in the first instance, entitle carers to up to five days of unpaid leave in a rolling 12 month period. My objective is to make carer’s leave a paid right. To that end, I also intend to seek powers to introduce a paid carer’s leave right if and when funding can be secured.”
The Minister added:
“In parallel to the introduction of an unpaid entitlement via my ‘Good Jobs’ Employment Rights Bill, I intend to commission further research and a call for evidence to determine how we can best meet the needs of carers to enable them to enter or remain within the workforce and to further refine the costings and benefits to inform future policy options to reflect the recommendations within the UUEPC report.”
The report is available on the Department’s website.
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