Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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562. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of extending adoptive benefit to male couples that are currently excluded due to a technicality in the legislation which only allows for the adoptive mother or sole male adopter to avail of it. [18224/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Adoptive benefit is a payment made for 24 weeks to an employed or self-employed parent who is on adoptive leave and who satisfies certain pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. The Department of Justice and Equality have policy and legal responsibility for adoptive leave entitlements.

In total there were 29 claims for adoptive benefit awarded in 2019 at a cost of some €165,000. It is not envisaged that adoptive benefit for male couples would have a substantial cost.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.