(1) The Redundancy Payments Act, 1967, is hereby amended by the substitution in paragraph 5(1) of Schedule 3 of the following clause for clause (d) (inserted by the Maternity Protection Act, 1994):

"(d) a period during which the employee is absent from work while on protective leave, natal care absence within the meaning of Part IV of the Maternity Protection Act, 1994, parental leave or force majeure leave.".

(2) Section 6 of the Unfair Dismissals Act, 1977, is hereby amended -

(a) by the insertion in subsection (2), after paragraph (d), of the following paragraph:

"(dd) the exercise or proposed exercise by the employee of the right to parental leave or force majeure leave under and in accordance with the Parental Leave Act, 1998,",

and

(b) the insertion, after subsection (2A) (inserted by the Maternity Protection Act, 1994), of the following subsection:

"(2B) Sections 3 and 4 do not apply to a case falling within subsection (2) (dd) and, for the purpose of that paragraph, 'employee' includes a person who would otherwise be excluded from this Act by paragraph (a), (c), (f) or (g) of section 2(1).".