New Regulations are now in operation to provide a county Councillor, who is eligible for maternity leave to 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.
These Regulations complement the provision of statutory maternity leave for councillors in December 2022. 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.
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 according to Minister Kieran O’Donnell.
County Tipperary elects 40 councillors – at present there are 9 female councillors giving a female participation rate of 23% despite women making up slightly more than 50% of the population in the county.
