Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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200. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of extending maternity benefit by six weeks. [12056/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Maternity Benefit is an income maintenance payment awarded to eligible women for a 26 week period while they are on Maternity Leave. As with all social insurance payments entitlement to Maternity Benefit is predicated on a minimum number of contributions being paid.

In 2016 it is estimated that my Department will spend approximately €266 million on Maternity Benefit, in respect of an average of 22,000 recipients per week.

Entitlement to Maternity Benefit for employees is contingent on their entitlement to statutory maternity leave. Statutory Maternity Leave entitles a mother to 26 weeks leave. Any decision to change the duration of Maternity Leave would be the responsibility of my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality.

If the duration of Maternity Leave was extended for 6 weeks and Maternity Benefit was payable for those additional weeks, the cost to the Social Insurance Fund in a full year would be in region of €62 million per annum. This figure does not include any additional costs to the Exchequer incurred by augmenting public servant salaries for the additional 6 week period.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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201. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing maternity benefit to €260 per week for the year 2017. [12059/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Maternity Benefit is a payment made for 26 weeks to employed and self-employed pregnant women who satisfy certain pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions in order to avoid the need for them to work pre and post-delivery of their baby. The original scheme was introduced in 1970 and was extended to include self-employed mothers with effect from June 1997.

In 2016 it is estimated that my Department will spend approximately €266 million on Maternity Benefit in respect of an average of 22,000 recipients per week.

The estimated cost of increasing Maternity Benefit to €260 per week for the year 2017 would be approximately €34.3 million per annum.