Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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1421.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the full-year cost to the Exchequer of increasing maternity benefit, paternity benefit and parent’s benefit by eight weeks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33606/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Maternity Benefit is payable for 26 weeks and Paternity Benefit is payable for two weeks. Currently seven weeks of Parent's Benefit is available for each eligible parent but, as a result of measures in Budget 2024, this will increase to nine weeks per parent from 1 August.

Maternity Benefit, Parent's Benefit and Paternity Benefit are paid at €274 per week. The estimated full year additional cost of increasing the duration of each of these payments by eight weeks is as follows:

The costs shown above are on a full year basis with the estimated number of recipients in 2024. It should be noted that these costings are subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients.

Also, these estimates do not reflect any additional costs which may be incurred by employers who provide substitution or salary top-ups which, in the Civil and Public Sector, would be a matter for my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.