Written Question·Department for Work and Pensions·UIN 60144

Parental Pay: Living Wage

Tabled: 16 June 2025

Answered: 24 June 2025

Question

Claire Hanna

Social Democratic & Labour Party — Belfast South and Mid Down

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing (a) Statutory Maternity Pay, (b) Maternity Allowance and (c) Shared Parental Pay to 62.5 per cent of the weekly National Living Wage by

Answer

Andrew Western

Government spends approximately £3 billion a year on parental payments. When considering calls to increase the level of maternity benefits generally, those must be balanced against limited resources as well as being mindful of the burden on employers, the...

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