Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 June 2023
440. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection the changes introduced to adoptive benefit since 27 June 2020; and if she will detail the number of recipients, by county, benefitting from these changes, in tabular form. [31122/23]
View answerAdoptive Benefit is a payment made to a parent who is on Adoptive Leave from work and covered by social insurance (PRSI). Adoptive Benefit is paid for 24 weeks from the date of placement of the child.
The Family Leave and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2021 amended the Adoptive Leave Act 1995 to enable adoptive couples to choose which parent may avail of Adoptive Leave and Benefit. This rectified an anomaly in the legislation which had prevented married male same-sex couples from availing of these supports. The Act also removed the presumption that the adoptive mother be the primary caregiver, thereby facilitating families to choose the best option for their family. It further provides for the availability of Paternity Leave and Benefit to the parent who is not availing of Adoptive Leave. These provisions came into effect from April 2021.
In Budget 2022 I provided for a €5 per week increase in the rate of Adoptive Benefit bringing the rate to €250 per week from January 2022. In Budget 2023 I provided for a further increase of €12 per week, brining the rate of Adoptive Benefit to €262 per week from January 2023.
The number of Adoptive Benefit recipients by county, benefitting from changes I have introduced to Adoptive Benefit, is set out in tabular form below.
|
- |
Recipients |
Recipients |
|
January 2022 |
January 2023 |
|
|
Carlow |
||
|
Cavan |
||
|
Clare |
1 |
|
|
Cork |
1 |
|
|
Donegal |
1 |
|
|
Dublin |
2 |
5 |
|
Galway |
||
|
Kerry |
1 |
|
|
Kildare |
1 |
|
|
Kilkenny |
||
|
Laois |
||
|
Leitrim |
1 |
|
|
Limerick |
||
|
Longford |
1 |
|
|
Louth |
1 |
1 |
|
Mayo |
1 |
|
|
Meath |
||
|
Monaghan |
||
|
Offaly |
1 |
|
|
Roscommon |
||
|
Sligo |
||
|
Tipperary |
1 |
|
|
Waterford |
||
|
Westmeath |
1 |
|
|
Wexford |
1 |
1 |
|
Wicklow |
1 |
|
|
Others |
||
|
Total |
8 |
15 |
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
