Maternity leave for councillors took a step forward with the approval for legislation to be drafted for the next Dáil Session.
This will providing for an entitlement of maternity protection to local authority elected members and also the possibility of the appointment by co-option of an individual as a temporary substitute for an elected member in specified circumstances.
The Local Government (Maternity Protection and Other Measures for Local Authority Elected Members) Bill 2022 is expected to be approved later this year.
The issue came to the fore when Justice Minister Helen McEntee went out on Maternity Leave last year highlighting that there was no provision for such leave for public representatives.
The issue is one of a range of issues that may deter women from becoming public representatives.
County Tipperary has 9 female councillors and 31 male councillors meaning that females make up 29% of the council while females make up slightly more than 50% of the population of Tipperary.
