Maternity Benefit is paid for 26 weeks to employed and self-employed women who satisfy certain pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution and other conditions.
In Budget 2022 I provided for a €5 per week increase in the rate of Maternity 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 Maternity Benefit to €262 per week from January 2023.
The number of Maternity Benefit recipients by county, benefitting from changes I have introduced to Maternity Benefit, is set out in tabular form below.
-
|
Recipients
|
Recipients
|
|
January 2022
|
January 2023
|
Carlow
|
230
|
236
|
Cavan
|
344
|
328
|
Clare
|
518
|
421
|
Cork
|
2,507
|
2,182
|
Donegal
|
619
|
603
|
Dublin
|
5,992
|
5,436
|
Galway
|
1,210
|
1,059
|
Kerry
|
597
|
497
|
Kildare
|
1,153
|
1,059
|
Kilkenny
|
401
|
419
|
Laois
|
374
|
325
|
Leitrim
|
156
|
127
|
Limerick
|
778
|
781
|
Longford
|
181
|
151
|
Louth
|
603
|
548
|
Mayo
|
538
|
512
|
Meath
|
1,004
|
958
|
Monaghan
|
351
|
266
|
Offaly
|
322
|
275
|
Roscommon
|
263
|
238
|
Sligo
|
285
|
230
|
Tipperary
|
729
|
602
|
Waterford
|
485
|
454
|
Westmeath
|
452
|
374
|
Wexford
|
659
|
606
|
Wicklow
|
616
|
573
|
Others
|
166
|
140
|
Total
|
21,533
|
19,400
|
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.