Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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421. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated full year cost of increasing maternity benefit by one, two, three, four, five and six weeks, respectively; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14741/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Maternity Benefit is paid by my Department to employed and self-employed mothers who are on maternity leave and is based on the payment of PRSI contributions while working. The current entitlement to paid maternity leave is 26 weeks. The 2018 estimates for my Department provide for expenditure of nearly €264 million.

The estimated additional cost of extending the duration of maternity benefit is approximately €9.6 million for each extra week, at the rate of €240 per week. The table below estimates the cost of increasing the duration for which maternity benefit is paid by one to six weeks.

It should be noted that Budget 2018 provided for the rate of maternity benefit to be increased by €5 per week from 26 March 2018.

These estimates are based on the cost for a full year and assume that any increase in duration is implemented from the beginning of the year.

Estimated annual cost of increasing the duration of maternity benefit based on budget 2018 rate of €240

This costing is subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients for 2018. It should be noted that the birth rate has continued to fall year on year. It should also be noted that there are additional costs to the Exchequer as these estimates do not include the costs of salary top-ups for public/civil servants.