Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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90. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons that availed of paternity benefit since its introduction in September 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8101/19]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The information requested by the Deputy is detailed in the following tabular statement.

Paternity Benefit may be taken by fathers at any time in the six months following the birth or adoption of their child.  Following the scheme's introduction in September 2016, many fathers who could have claimed the benefit in the last four months of 2016 claimed it instead in 2017.

This means that, in the four months from September to December 2016, about 46 Paternity Benefit claims were made for every 100 Maternity Benefit claims.  In the year 2017, this rose to 62 Paternity Benefit claims for every 100 Maternity Benefit claims, as fathers of children born in both late 2016 and 2017 took up their entitlements. 

In the year 2018, the uptake ratio stabilised at 57 Paternity Benefit claims for every 100 Maternity Benefit claims.

I note that this delayed uptake pattern in the first year of the new scheme's operation explains the slight fall in the total number of Paternity Benefit claims awarded from 2017 to 2018.