Wallace welcomes 4 additional weeks maternity benefit for mothers
Meath East TD, and Minister of State, Mary Wallace welcomes the announcement that from today, 1st March 2007, mothers will be entitled to another 4 weeks paid Maternity Benefit which will give them a full 6 months, or 26 weeks, off work to care for their baby at home at a very important time in the baby's life, with the option of taking an additional 16 weeks unpaid leave.
Based on the increase in the numbers of women claiming the benefit over the last two years, and the growth in Ireland's population, it is estimated that at least 43,000 women will qualify for the extended leave during the 12 months between March 2007 and March 2008.
Overall funding for paid Maternity Leave has more than trebled in recent years, increasing from €58 million in 2000 to an estimated €235 million this year. Over the same time the length of paid Maternity Leave has increased from 14 weeks in 2000 to 22 weeks in 2006. Now the Government is further improving this important entitlement by extending it to 26 weeks, while also increasing the amount of unpaid leave mothers can take. Funding of €27 million has been set aside to fund the extra four weeks which is set to benefit more than 43,000 women in the next 12 months and tens of
thousands more in the years ahead.
Extending Maternity Leave entitlements is in addition to recent Budget changes to the ceiling on reckonable earnings applied to Maternity Benefit which has now been increased from €332 to €350 per week. This has raised the maximum rate of payment (based on 80% of reckonable earnings) from €265.60 to €280 per week. The minimum rate of payment has been raised from €182.60 to €207.80 per week. These improvements and increases are being implemented at a total cost of over €11 million.
This Government is committed to improving childcare benefits and this latest improvement comes on top of the introduction last year of the €1,000 Early Childcare Supplement for all children under 6 years of age. These improvements are very welcome and will be of benefit to thousands of Co. Meath mothers, said Minister Wallace.