Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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2017. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the full combined cost of increasing maternity benefit by €20, €30, €40 and €50 per week and extending maternity benefit by 26 weeks, in tabular form. [27209/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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It is currently estimated that my Department will spend approximately €266 million this year on maternity benefit in respect of an average of 22,000 recipients per week. The table below estimates increasing the duration of maternity benefit by one to twenty-six weeks at the current rate of €235 per week. The table also estimates increasing the duration by one to twenty-six weeks while also increasing the rate of payment of maternity by €20, €30, €40 and €50 per week respectively.

Estimated Cost (€million) of Increasing Maternity Benefit

These estimates are on a full year basis and assume that any increase in duration or rate 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.