Over 1,500 fathers have taken paid paternity leave

A TOTAL of 1,506 Wicklow fathers have availed of the new paid paternity benefit scheme so far.

The high uptake has been welcomed by Minister of State Andrew Doyle who outlined that from March 25, 2019, the weekly payment rate will increase by €5 to €245.

‘This will afford new Dads the opportunity to be more involved at the earliest stages of a child’s development, which is important for the whole family. It is great to hear that there has been good take up of the scheme so far,’ he said.

He encouraged prospective fathers to sign up for the scheme and said that the application process is simple.

‘I am encouraging prospective fathers to sign up for Paternity Benefit and I think they will find the application process to be clear and simple. They will require a Public Service Card in order to apply, and if they are an employee, they need to give four weeks’ notice to their employer to qualify for the accompanying Paternity Leave,’ he said.

‘Fathers who fulfil the PRSI requirements are eligible for Paternity Benefit when they take two weeks of Paternity Leave at any time within the first 26 weeks of their child’s life, or following adoption,’ he added.

Information on how to apply for Paternity Leave, and how to get your Public Service Card, is available at www.welfare.ie/paternitybenefit.