THE Government has no immediate plans to introduce legislation to provide adoptive leave for fathers, the Minister for Equality and Law Reform told the House.

However, Mr Taylor said the question of leave for workers, whether men or women, to facilitate the combining of work and family responsibilities will be examined in the context of the implementation of the EU directive on parental leave.

Political agreement on the directive was reached at the social affairs council last March, and it was on the agenda for adoption at the council meeting in June, said Mr Taylor. Leave for adoptive fathers would have to be considered in the context of leave for natural fathers.

He was replying to the Fianna Fail spokesman on law reform, Dr Michael Woods, who said it was important that there be equal treatment in adoptive leave.