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HELEN MCENTEE IS to return to her position as justice minister on Thursday.
McEntee went on maternity leave in November 2022, with Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys taking over her role until the Cabinet reshuffle.
In December’s reshuffle, Higher Education Minister Simon Harris became the interim justice minister.
McEntee gave birth to her second child in December. The minister and her husband, Paul, already have another son, Michael, who was born in April 2021.
On both occasions, McEntee became a Minister without Portfolio, and though bound by her constitutional responsibilities as a member of the government, she had no specific duties or responsibilities, and could not exercise any powers in relation to the Department of Justice.
McEntee took up six months paid maternity leave for the birth of her two sons.
At the time, Government committed to finding a “long term solution on maternity, paternity and other types of leave for public representatives”.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin stated at the time that there is an “absolute requirement” to move away from ad hoc arrangements and for a “permanent reform in this area to ensure full equality for all public representatives and the need to introduce maternity and paternity leave for councillors, Senators, TDs, and Ministers”.
“We want to make sure that having a family is in no way in conflict with pursuing a career in public life. That will require legislative change, or possibly constitutional change,” he said
The issue was raised in the Seanad in 2018, with the then Minister of State for Equality David Stanton stating that the Government backed the principle of the legislation but there were a number of “fundamental issues”.
He said on the record that “Oireachtas Members as ‘office holders’ are automatically entitled to a salary as a matter of law (with limited exceptions) from the period they sign the roll until they are no longer a member of either House of the Oireachtas, regardless of attendance”.
Under the current arrangement, there is also no provision for pairing arrangements to allow a TD take leave without it affecting a Dáil vote.
Informal arrangements were made during McEntee’s maternity leave in the past.
A cross-party group of TDs and senators has been established to push for reform of the maternity rules, but Equality Minister Roderic O’Gorman has flagged some practical implications in the proposed standalone bill to legislate for maternity leave.
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That place in letterkenny is always being closed.. There has to be a limit to how many times a place can be closed and be allowed to open..
Ireland’s hygiene standards are on a different planet to the rest of Europe, let alone the rest of the world. Anyone who has every taken a foreign holiday can verify this.
What about GMO crops, chemicals such as Aspartame in all foods and Fluoride in the water? Why isnt there anything been done about that or even reported on in mainstream Media? The Journal keeping the Government Happy as per usual.
Aoife why lead with the Montessori? Surely the other business’s that serve a wider population would be more news worthy? Especially if they have been in breech before.
@ Gary Brandon, because when the main stream media actually to looks in detail at these stories they realise there’s more fiction than truth in them. Remember these are professional journalist not a collective of cranks and conspiracy theorists…
Your tin foil hat is slipping again Gary.
Hi Cliodhna, I used this in the headline as it is unusual to have a montessori in these lists. We get this information on a monthly basis and this is the first time I’ve seen one as having received an enforcement order. Also, it demonstrates that is not just restaurants and take-aways that can be given enforcement orders, which is useful information for both the public and business owners.
Hope that explains things,
Aoife
@Tom Barry Yeah I do forget that Mainstream Media and what they report is always right. I must believe everything the Media tell me and do as my Government says because they are always right.
When the facts are there and then the Government pay people and doctors to come out against the truth like it has always been you get morons like you who actually then support everything and anything they say. If GMO crops are so safe why do the people who spray them where full protective suits and breathing apparatus? Its not safe to breathe in but it must be safe to ingest and let linger in your system.
And also on the term “Professional Journalist” what makes them so? Just because they write things in mainstream media makes them professional? Its always easier to believe what is in front of you instead of doing proper research yourself I suppose and the Fluoride that is mellowing you out makes you more susceptible to the bull that they feed you everyday so in part I cannot blame you for following the Heard.
You are just proof of exactly what the Governments have been perfecting for years and it seems to have worked well.
Or maybe its because you do not actually want to know the truth about what you actually consume and are just happy to ignore the fact that you are being poisoned everyday. Either way its up to you to do your own research. And if your research consists of FOX News and the likes well then you keep on being a sheep. :)
*herd
@Gary Brandon your little rant speaks volumes; give a man enough rope…
You sound like a broken record Gary
Gary I can’t u understand why aspartame has to be put in children’s dilutes etc isn’t it banned in the US
What does the above comment mean. Please explain.
Its in everything! Bread, Coke, Diet Coke, All brands of Chewing Gum, its not just in “sugarfree” so Cakes, sweet cooking sauces its everywhere!
Was referring to Gary’s comment re aspartame – supposed to say I can’t understand why it’s put into children’s drinks etc when it’s banned in US
@Fiona here is just a small list of what contains Aspartame, but the list is alot longer
http://supersweetblog.wordpress.com/list-of-products-containing-aspartame/
Probably makes it taste better??
@John Billane
Well I’m Glad you like the taste of Cancer
I smoke. I know the taste.
@ Gary – all the diet stuff really isn’t it – are we better off with the full fat stuff?
From Wikipedia:
Cancer
Reviews have found no association between aspartame and cancer. These reviews have looked at numerous carcinogenicity studies in animals, epidemiologic studies in humans, as well as in vitro genotoxicity studies. These studies have found no significant evidence that aspartame causes cancer in animals, damages the genome, or causes cancer in humans at doses currently used.[7][36][39] This position is supported by multiple regulatory agencies like the FDA[53] and EFSA as well as scientific bodies such as the National Cancer Institute.[45]
Concern about possible carcinogenic properties of aspartame was originally raised and popularized in the mainstream media by John Olney in the 1970s and again in 1996 by suggesting that aspartame may be related to brain tumors. Reviews have found that these concerns were flawed, due to reliance on the ecological fallacy[54] and the purported mechanism of causing tumors being unlikely to actually cause cancer. Independent agencies such as the FDA and National Cancer Institute have reanalyzed multiple studies based on these worries and found no association between aspartame and brain cancer.[39]
As discussed in the article on controversies around aspartame, the Cesare Maltoni Cancer Research Center of the European Ramazzini Foundation of Oncology and Environmental Sciences released several studies which claimed that aspartame can increase several malignancies in rodents, concluding that aspartame is a potential carcinogen at normal dietary doses.[7] The EFSA[55] and the FDA[53] discounted the study results and found no reason to revise their previously established acceptable daily intake levels for aspartame.
Aoife
Thanks for explanation. I see your point and I agree with you, I was looking at it from a different angle places I’d avoid when I was out and about. I didn’t mean it to sound as if I didn’t think they should be there in fact they should.
Cliodhna
Hi Cliodhna, no problem at all! Glad it clarified things for you, I appreciate the question.
Thanks a million
Aoife
Thanks Gary for the link. It’s interesting to see which foods it.is in.
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