John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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388. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to extend new provisions announced for mothers of premature babies to mothers who were on leave having had their baby prematurely prior to the commencement date of 1 October 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44638/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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On 3 October 2017 I, together with my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Charles Flanagan, announced increased maternity leave and maternity benefit for mothers whose babies are born prematurely.

Under the new arrangements, in addition to the current 26 weeks of paid maternity leave a mother will be entitled to an additional period of maternity leave and benefit where her baby is born prematurely, where she meets the ordinary qualifying criteria for the schemes. The additional period will commence at the end of the standard 26 week period of paid maternity leave. The extended period to be added will be the number of weeks from the baby's actual date of birth up to two weeks before the expected date of confinement which would have been the 37th week of the pregnancy, at which point the current entitlement to 26 weeks leave and benefit would normally begin.

The Government decided that the additional maternity leave and benefit would be available for mothers of premature babies born on or after 1 October 2017 and my Department is now working to make sure the necessary arrangements are put in place to meet that deadline. There are no plans to extend the new arrangements to mothers of premature babies born before that date.