Maternity benefit is a payment made for 26 weeks to employed and self-employed pregnant women who satisfy certain pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. In order to qualify for maternity benefit, a person must be in employment immediately before the first day of her maternity leave. The last day of insurable employment must be within 16 weeks of the end of the week in which her baby is due. If a woman satisfies these conditions and ceases employment within this 16 week timeframe, payment of maternity benefit can commence from the following day.
Where an individual is not in employment within the 16 week timeframe or has insufficient social insurance contributions to qualify for maternity benefit, they may be eligible for another social welfare payment provided they meet the relevant conditions, including jobseekers.
The conditions of the emergency COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment are that a person must have lost their employment and income following the onset of the Covid19 pandemic. It would be impossible to construct a scheme based on claims of potential or prospective but unrealised employment, particularly in an environment where the economy was operating at full-employment with many unfilled vacancies prior to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
It is open to any person experiencing financial hardship to apply for assistance through the means tested Supplementary Welfare Allowance. Information on the various income supports is available at www.gov.ie.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
