Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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647. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection whether improvements in maternity, paternity or parental benefit is scheduled; and if so, the dates that they will take effect. [40354/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Government has committed to the continued support of working parents to achieve a better work-life balance. The Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019 introduced two weeks of paid Parents' Leave for each parent to be taken in the first year after the birth or adoptive placement of a child. In April 2021, an additional three weeks of paid Parents' Leave was made available to each qualifying 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.

Furthermore, in July 2022 Parent's Leave and Benefit was increased from five weeks to seven weeks. In line with the EU Work-Life Balance Directive, Parent’s Leave and Benefit is required to increase by an additional two weeks to nine weeks by August 2024.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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648. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will indicate her latest estimate for the numbers of recipients of domiciliary care allowance, working family payment, carer's allowance, carer's benefit and carer's support grant; and her estimate of the number of children deriving support from these payments in each case. [40361/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The information requested by the Deputy is shown in the attached tabular statement.