Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The short answer to the Deputy's question is "Yes". Work currently being done by the Minister for Social Protection in moving towards pay-related benefits is not just about jobseekers; it could also apply to maternity benefit, paternity benefit, and illness benefit to better reflect the fact that if people are out of work for a temporary period, the money they get should better reflect what they earn and how much they are paying into the PRSI system. The Deputy referred to maternity benefit. That is the minimum payment. A lot of employers pay more, including in the public sector and the State, and sometimes those international comparisons do not take into account the fact that our system is different. Many employers top up maternity benefit and pay a lot more than that minimum amount.

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