Maternity benefit rule for self-employed ‘unjust’

A senator has railed against “totally unjust” rules which mean self-employed women are unlikely to get maternity benefit if their baby is born after the 16th week of the year.

Having been contacted by a constituent who was denied maternity benefit because her child was born in week 17 of this year, Fine Gael senator Colm Burke contacted the maternity benefit section of the Department of Social Protection to query the decision.

It is estimated that there will be a weekly average of 22,000 recipients of maternity benefit this year, at a cost of €263.5m.