The government has confirmed Justice Minister Helen McEntee will be able to take six months of maternity leave.
Helen McEntee is the first Minister to become pregnant while in office.
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That means there was no precedent and a number of constitutional headaches presented themselves.
But, thankfully, a solution has been found.
Minister McEntee will remain a member of the government without a portfolio for entire six months, starting form April 30th.
Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys will take the title of Justice Minister during that time.
She'll be handling all the political responsibility for the Department and issues relating to security and policing.
Meanwhile, Super Junior Minister Hildegarde Naughton will also be assigned to the Department of Justice to look after the courts and criminal justice aspects of the brief.
Existing Junior Minister in Justice James Browne will take over more responsibility relating to civil justice and immigration.
Minister Helen McEntee says barriers to women entering politics still exist:
“One of those is the lack of maternity and paternity leave for councillors, TDs, senators and ministers. Women and men should know that having a family is not an impediment to a career in public life."
— Seán Defoe (@SeanDefoe) March 11, 2021
It's hoped spreading the workload won't overload Minister Humphreys, who will also be remaining Minister for Social Protection and Rural Affairs.
Both Minister McEntee and the Taoiseach noted today that this rigmarole shouldn't be necessary.
Thank you all for your good wishes, and thanks especially to @HHumphreysFG @1Hildegarde and @JamesBrowneTD. My statement is at @DeptJusticeIRL 👇🏻👇🏻 https://t.co/FH8j0O8130
— Helen McEntee TD (@HMcEntee) March 11, 2021
They said the lack of maternity leave for politicians is a big barrier for women choosing it as a career path.
