Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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22. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans for the further expansion of parent’s benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57823/21]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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60. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to extend parent’s benefit, announced as part of budget 2022; the efforts being made to ensure they take effect as planned; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57702/21]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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79. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of the plans to extend parents' benefit. [57914/21]

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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84. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of plans to extend parent’s benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57541/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 22, 60, 79 and 84 together.

Parent's Leave and Benefit are currently available to all eligible parents of children born or adopted from 1 November 2019 for five weeks and must be used within the first two years of the child’s life or adoption. The Parent’s Benefit scheme is family-friendly and flexible, allowing parents to take one week of leave at a time or for a consecutive period.

Provision was made in Budget 2022 to increase the number of weeks of Parent's Leave and Benefit available to eligible parents from five weeks to seven weeks from July 2021. The additional two weeks leave and benefit will apply to parents of children who are under age 2 in July 2022 or in the case of adoption, children who have been with their parents for fewer than two years at that point.

The extension of Parent’s Leave and Benefit requires legislative change and changes to the Department of Social Protection's systems. This work is already underway, and my Department will be in a position to process and issue the additional two weeks benefit payments from July 2022.

Parents with an entitlement to the existing five weeks of Parents Leave and Benefit prior to this can apply for and use it at their convenience.

I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputies.