Minister for Children James Reilly has said he is a "really strong supporter" of paid paternity leave and looked forward to a time when mothers and fathers could get equal entitlements.

However, he added that the State’s “constrained” financial position meant such a situation could not be brought about in the short term.

“I think absolutely that there should be paternity leave, and I’d be a really strong supporter of that,” he said. “And I really believe that many more men . . . If it were paid and the options were there for people, they would exercise it.”

Tánaiste Joan Burton told her party conference at the weekend that steps enabling the Government to introduce two weeks’ paid paternity leave would be set out by the end of the year.

Asked if he thought fathers should be entitled to more than two weeks’ paid leave, Dr Reilly said: “Let’s not pretend that we can solve all the problems at one fell swoop. I mean, we have to look, ideally, that you would have equal entitlement over an equal period of time for both fathers and mothers. But in a constrained financial situation we may have to walk a bit more slowly before we can run at the pace we’d like to be running at.”

He was speaking after taking part in a conference on childcare organised by the European Commission Representation in Ireland to mark International Women’s Day.

In his address to the conference, Dr Reilly said the Government was committed to introducing a second free pre-school year “as resources allow”.

He said he had asked an inter-departmental group to examine how the Coalition could promote “a more balanced sharing of parenting”.

“Dads should have as much opportunity to be active, involved parents as women do,” he said. “Mums should have as much opportunity to combine raising a family with activities outside the home as men do.”