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The Minister of State for Local Government and Planning at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Kieran O’Donnell, today announced the coming into effect of new Regulations which provide that a councillor who is eligible for maternity leave can now also avail of an administrative support allowance. The allowance is to cover expenses incurred by female councillors in engaging an individual to maintain basic office duties and provide other secretarial or administrative duties, for a period of up to 42 consecutive weeks.
Minister O'Donnell said:
“These Regulations complement the Local Government (Maternity Protection and Other Measures for Members of Local Authorities) Act 2022, enacted in December 2022, which introduced statutory maternity leave for councillors for the first time."
The Minister added:
“The new allowance introduced means that a councillor who is eligible for maternity leave, and who choose not to nominate a temporary substitute councillor under the 2022 Act, will be able to engage someone on a temporary and part-time basis to assist her with her administrative and office work."
The allowance for administrative support amounts to a maximum of €240.14 per week for up to 42 weeks, enabling the individual engaged by the councillor to work for up to 13 hours per week. The allowance may also be claimed by councillors who were eligible for maternity leave in the months since the enactment of the 2022 Act.
This administrative support allowance was originally proposed by a cross political party working group of women councillors established in 2021 to examine all maternity-related matters for councillors.
Minister O’Donnell said:
“I am very pleased to introduce this allowance which, following the introduction of maternity leave in December, is another important step in meeting the needs of women councillors. This allowance is one of a range of measures aimed at promoting the participation of women in local government, and is made available in support of family friendly practices in local authorities."
The Local Government (Maternity Protection and Other Measures for Elected Members in Local Authorities) Act 2022 entered into force on 21 December 2022. The Act gave, for the first time, a statutory entitlement of maternity leave to local councillors, addressing a significant obstacle to the participation of women in local government. Under the 2022 Act, councillors who take maternity leave may also nominate a temporary substitute to undertake their role and duties for a maximum of 42 weeks, in line with the statutory leave afforded to employees. This provision of a temporary substitute allows a councillor to step away entirely from the role for her period of maternity leave.
The Local Government Act 2001 (Section 142) (Allowance for Maternity-Related Administrative Support) Regulations 2023 (S.I. No. 404 of 2023), which introduces the new maternity-related administrative support allowance for councillors, is intended as an additional measure to the 2022 Act. Councillors who are eligible for maternity leave, who choose NOT to nominate a temporary substitute, may claim the new allowance to take on an individual on a part-time basis to assist them with their office and other administrative work during her period of maternity leave. The allowance is based on a proportion of the salary of an Oireachtas Administrative Assistant.