Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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474. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of extending the fuel allowance payment period by one week; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38049/21]

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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475. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of an additional €1 in the weekly fuel allowance payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38050/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 474 and 475 together.

The estimated full year cost of increasing the Fuel Allowance by €1 is €10.5 million. The estimated cost of extending the fuel season by 1 week is also €10.5 million.

This costing is based on the estimated number of recipients in 2021, and is subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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476. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing the qualified child increase for the over 12s by €1 per week; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38051/21]

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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477. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing the qualified child increase for the under 12s by €1 per week; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38052/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 476 and 477 together.

The estimated full year cost of a €1 increase to the Increase for a Qualified Child payment is €6.7 million for children aged 12 and over, and €10.6 million for children aged under 12.  

This costing is based on the estimated number of recipients in 2021, and is subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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478. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of one additional week of paternity benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38053/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Paternity Benefit is a payment for employed and self-employed people who are on Paternity Leave from work who satisfy certain PRSI contribution conditions.  It is paid for two weeks and is available in respect of any child born or adopted on or after 1 September 2016.  Paternity Benefit is paid at €245 per week, the same rate as Maternity Benefit, Adoptive Benefit and Parent’s Benefit.

Any decision to extend the period of paternity leave for employees would be a matter, in the first instance, for my colleague, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, who has policy and legislative responsibility for this area.

The estimated cost of extending Paternity Benefit by 1 week is approximately €6.8 million. This estimate is based on a full year basis and on the estimated number of recipients in 2021. It should be noted that this costing is subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated number of recipients. 

This estimate does not reflect any additional costs which may be incurred by employers who provide substitution or salary top-ups which would be a matter for my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. 

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy. 

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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479. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of one additional week of parent’s benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38054/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019 introduced two weeks of Parent's Leave and Benefit for each parent to be taken in the first year after the birth or adoptive placement of a child.  Following the commencement of the Family Leave and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2021, an additional three weeks of Parent's Leave and Benefit is available to each parent.  The period in which the leave can be taken has also been extended to the first two years after the birth or adoptive placement of a child.

Any decision to extend the duration of parent's leave for employees would be a matter in the first instance for my colleague, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, who has policy responsibility for this area. 

Parent’s Benefit is paid at €245 per week - the same rate as Maternity, Paternity and Adoptive Benefits.  Parent's Benefit is available to provide care for the child and can be taken in individual periods of a week over a period of 24 months.  This allows working parents to spend more time with their children during these important and formative years.

The estimated annual cost of increasing Parent’s Benefit to six weeks based on the estimated number of recipients in 2021 is €7.3 million.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.