Economy Minister Dr has today published an
Ulster University Economic Policy Centre (UUEPC) briefing paper
on carer's leave.
The Minister recently outlined proposals for a ‘Good Jobs'
Employment Rights Bill. A key component of this Bill will be the
introduction of a right of up to five days of unpaid leave for
carers.
Minister Archibald said: “Those caring for relatives, or
dependants with a long term care need, play a vital role in our
society. This frequently entails great personal commitment and
sacrifice, and can in turn impact their ability to work. I am
grateful to UUEPC for providing this report which has helped
shape my policy proposals. I plan to put forward legislation
which will, in the first instance, entitle carers to up to five
days of unpaid leave in a rolling 12 month period. My objective
is to make carer's leave a paid right. To that end, I also intend
to seek powers to introduce a paid carer's leave right if and
when funding can be secured.”
The Minister added: “In parallel to the introduction of an
unpaid entitlement via my ‘Good Jobs' Employment Rights Bill, I
intend to commission further research and a call for evidence to
determine how we can best meet the needs of carers to enable them
to enter or remain within the workforce and to further refine the
costings and benefits to inform future policy options to reflect
the recommendations within the UUEPC report.”
The report is available on the Department's website
at: https://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/publications/introducing-carers-leave-northern-ireland-briefing-paper
