evidence: Ireland's maternity leave provision of just nine weeks at full pay is the second-worst in Europe. Only Switzerland, which provides eight weeks at full pay, offers less. The UK offers new fathers two weeks' statutory paternity leave at £149 a week, a provision that Unicef deemed equivalent to 0.4 weeks at full pay. This pales in comparison to Sweden, where new fathers are offered 10.9 weeks at full pay, as well as Germany (5.7 weeks), France (5.6 weeks) and Spain (2 weeks). Italy's paternity leave provision is the same as the UK's.