Emergency paid parental leave should be introduced by the Government for working parents, where one parent may have to stay at home because of the closure of schools.
With the Cabinet likely, at the time of going to press, to agree to the closure of schools until the end of January, Fianna Fáil Galway City East councillor Alan Cheevers has made this call for "supports to be put in place for working parents".
Cllr Cheevers said many parents he has spoken to are "stressed as they may have to cut their working hours because of the closure of schools". He said this is made worse by the fact that many parents have financial obligations they need to fulfil and so cannot afford to miss work.
