Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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43. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to increase statutory maternity leave entitlement; if she will provide estimates of the cost of increasing maternity leave from 26 weeks to 30 weeks and from 26 weeks to 34 weeks; her views on whether these cost estimates take into account the effect of the cost impact of increased maternity leave on the public sector wage bill due to entitlements to full additional salary in the public sector. [23978/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, legislation which creates an entitlement to two weeks' Paternity Leave and Benefit has just passed in the Seanad and will be enacted as quickly as possible. This legislation in addition to the existing payment of maternity benefit means that the State now offers a total of 28 weeks of paid support to parents upon the birth of their child. It is my intention that this Government will be in a position to extend the provision of paid leave further in the years ahead subject to the resources becoming available. In this regard, the Deputy will be aware of the Programme for a Partnership Government commitment to significantly increase parental leave in the first year of a child’s life over the next five years. The Government has also approved the Family Leave Bill, which will address all existing family leave legislation such as parental leave, carer's leave, maternity leave, and adoptive leave and consolidate this legislation into one Act.

If the duration of Maternity Leave was extended for 4 weeks and Maternity Benefit was payable for those additional weeks, the cost to the Social Insurance Fund in a full year would be in the region of €40 million per annum. If the duration of Maternity Leave was extended for 8 weeks and Maternity Benefit was payable for those additional weeks, the cost to the Social Insurance Fund in a full year would be in the region of €80 million per annum. This figure does not include any additional costs to the Exchequer incurred by augmenting public servant salaries for the additional periods.