Richard Bruton
Question:1264. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection the date on which the next improvement in parental benefit is scheduled to be made. [40981/22]
View answerTuesday, 26 July 2022
Questions (1264)
Written answers
The Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019 introduced two weeks of paid Parent's Leave 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 paid Parent's Leave is available to each parent, and the period in which the leave can be taken has been extended to the first two years after the birth or adoptive placement of a child.
Budget 2022 provided for Parent’s Leave and Benefit to be extended from five weeks for each parent to seven weeks. I am pleased that this extension came into effect from 1 July.
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 Government has committed to the continued support of working parents to achieve a better work-life balance and will introduce measures to comply with the Work Life Balance Directive requirement to further extend Parent’s Leave and Benefit to nine weeks by 2nd August 2024.
Parent’s Benefit is currently paid at €250 a week. Parent’s Benefit can be paid in separate weekly blocks or can be paid over a consecutive period. Since the introduction of the scheme, up to the end of June this year, my Department has awarded over 100,000 Parent's Benefit claims at a cost in excess of €65 million.