Overview
- Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke brought a bill to Cabinet in mid‑July 2026 proposing a new statutory entitlement of five days paid leave for pregnancy loss before 23 weeks.
- Draft details reported by multiple outlets say the leave would be paid by employers at the statutory sick‑pay rate of about 70% of daily pay capped at €110 and would require medical certification.
- Under current Irish law maternity entitlements only apply from 23 weeks gestation so losses before that point have no statutory leave or recovery time.
- The proposal has drawn public support from senior figures including Tánaiste Simon Harris and is presented alongside recent measures in Northern Ireland and Malta, with officials estimating an annual cost near €10 million.
- The bill now goes through Cabinet review and the Oireachtas where it must clear legislative stages before becoming law and could change workplace practice by formally recognising grief and giving workers short, paid time to recover.