Emer Currie
Question:177. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of men and women who applied for parent's benefit in the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38033/26]
View answerWednesday, 20 May 2026
Questions (177)
Written answers
Parent’s Benefit supports parents who take statutory parent’s leave in the first two years after a birth or adoption. It gives each parent nine weeks of paid leave once they meet the required PRSI contributions. The payment is €299 per week, available to both employed and self-employed parents.
The number of claims registered for Parent's Benefit amounted to 76,935 in 2023, 92,820 in 2024, and 93,671 in 2025.
My Department's as part of its quarterly statistics report publishes a gender breakdown of persons who receive the Parent's Benefit payment.
In the fourth quarter of 2025, over 25,700 people received at least one Parent’s Benefit payment. Of these, 15,500, or 60%, were female and 10,200, or 40%, were male.
In Q4 2024, around 28,700 people received a payment. Of these recipients, 18,100, or 63%, were female while 37%, were male.
Finally, in Q4 2023, there were 22,000 recipients of Parent's Benefit, with 13,500, or 61%, being female, and 39%, being male.