John McGahon (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to discuss something that the Leader will have a lot of experience of from her time as a Minister in her former Department. I refer to the Christmas bonus and, more importantly, the fact it is not paid to people who are on maternity leave. Next year I would love those who are on maternity leave at Christmas to be eligible for the Christmas bonus scheme. The Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, talked about the Christmas bonus last week, which is incredible. She encouraged people to spend that money locally. This is money that, in the first instance, goes back into local economies. That is important. People who are on maternity leave have paid their taxes, worked in jobs and contributed to the economy. They will contribute to the economy when they finish maternity leave. The payment will not be given to everyone who is on maternity leave; it will only be paid to those who are on maternity leave during the Christmas period. According to the Department's website, more than 30 groups of people avail of the Christmas bonus. They include those in receipt of the State pension, invalidity pension, the back to work enterprise allowance and the supplementary welfare allowance. It is important that we include people in receipt of maternity benefit in that cohort. It is too late to do anything about it this year. I would appreciate if we could have a discussion or debate about this issue so that it can be put on the agenda for Christmas 2021.