asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will state the conditions of payment of maternity allowances under the Social Welfare Acts.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Maternity Allowances.
Maternity allowance under the Social Welfare Act, 1952, is payable to a woman by virtue of her own insurance at the rate of 24/- a week for a period of 12 weeks beginning with the sixth week before the end of the expected week of her confinement. Where the confinement occurs before or after the expected week of confinement, the allowance is payable until the expiration of the sixth week after the week in which the confinement occurs and no longer. The contribution conditions for maternity allowance are:—(a) that not less than 26 employment contributions have been paid in respect of the claimant before the relevant time; (b) that not less than 26 employment contributions have been paid or credited to the claimant in respect of the last complete contribution year before the relevant time. The "relevant time" means the date of commencement of the fifth week before the expected week of confinement.
A claim for maternity allowance must, of course, be made at the proper time, but where there is good cause for delay in making the claim, the time may be extended subject to the condition that maternity allowance is not payable in respect of any period more than six months before the date on which the claim is made.
It should also be noted that an insured woman who marries is disqualified for receiving any benefit including maternity allowance until 26 employment contributions have been paid in respect of her subsequent to her marriage.