Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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218. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the cost of statutory maternity benefit in 2016; and the number of women who availed of the full 26 weeks. [18668/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The detail requested on the total number of maternity benefit claims received and awarded in 2016, along with the expenditure on the scheme is set out in the following table:

The Department does not collate statistics on the number of claimants who take a shorter maternity leave, so it is not possible to state how many women availed of the full 26 weeks.

Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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219. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of extending maternity leave by a further two weeks in one budgetary year. [18669/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Maternity benefit is paid for 26 weeks at a rate of €235 per week. The 2017 Estimates for my Department provide for expenditure of approximately €266 million on maternity benefit.

The estimated additional cost of extending the duration of maternity benefit by two weeks in one budgetary year is approximately €20 million. This estimate is on a full year basis and assumes that the increase in duration is implemented at the beginning of the year. It should be noted that this costing is subject to change over the coming months in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients for 2017.

Any changes to the rate or duration of maternity benefit could also have implications for adoptive benefit; health and safety benefit; and paternity benefit. Revised figures for these schemes are not included in the costings above.

Any increase would have to be considered in the overall budgetary context.