Ireland

Republic's justice minister Helen McEntee's pregnancy a first for Cabinet

Justice Minister Helen McEntee
Justice Minister Helen McEntee Justice Minister Helen McEntee

THE Republic's Justice minister Helen McEntee has announced she is pregnant, becoming the first member of Cabinet ever to be pregnant in office.

In a social media post on Saturday, Ms Entee revealed she her news, saying: "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.... Last Christmas as a duo though #babyonboard #excited".

A spokesman confirmed that she and her husband Paul Hickey are expecting their first child, due in May next year.

He added: "The minister will take a period of maternity leave next year to care for their baby".

However, RTÉ reported it is unclear how this would work as TDs, senators and county councillors are not entitled to receive maternity and paternity leave as they are in other jurisdictions.

When Fianna Fáil attempted to introduce a bill to allow for leave in 2018 it emerged that female TDs have to provide a sick note to take time off after they have their babies.

Ms McEntee was appointed to her post June this year, having previously she had served as minister of state for European affairs in the last Fine Gael-led Government.

In 1979 Fianna Fáil TD Máire Geoghegan Quinn become the first minister to give birth while in office when her second child was born. However she was not a cabinet minister at the time but a junior minister at the Department of Industry, Commerce and Energy under Charles Haughey’s government.