Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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373. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to increase statutory maternity and paternity benefit and to increase the length of paid leave available to both parents, in line with recommendations of the Citizen's Assembly on Gender Equality and Joint Committee on Gender Equality; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41248/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Government has committed to the continued support of working parents to achieve a better work-life balance. The question of extending the duration of Maternity and Paternity Leave would, in the first instance, be a matter for consideration by the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth who has policy and legal responsibility for Maternity and Paternity Leave. My Department has responsibility for the payment of any associated benefit.

As part of Budget 2023 the standard rate of Maternity and Paternity Benefit increased by €12 to €262 per week from January 2023. Last December I published a public consultation document or "Strawman" on Pay-Related Benefit for Jobseekers. While the Strawman primarily focuses on jobseekers supports, feedback received as part of the public consultation will also help to inform the consideration of potential changes to other short-term income supports, such as Maternity Benefit.

The Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019 introduced two weeks of paid Parents' Leave for each parent to be taken in the first year after the birth or adoptive placement of a child. In April 2021, an additional three weeks of paid Parents' Leave was made available to each qualifying parent. The period in which the leave can be taken has also been extended to the first two years after the birth or adoptive placement of a child.

Furthermore, in July 2022 Parent's Leave and Benefit was increased from five weeks to seven weeks. In line with the EU Work-Life Balance Directive, Parent’s Leave and Benefit is required to increase by an additional two weeks to nine weeks by August 2024.

When the current durations of Maternity, Paternity and Parent’s Leave are combined this adds to 42 weeks of paid leave for a two-parent family. In addition, 16 weeks of unpaid Maternity Leave is available. Over time, Parent's Leave and Benefit will increase to nine weeks for each parent, this will bring paid leave in Ireland up to a combined 46 weeks for a two-parent family by 2024.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.