Government pays out more to new parents despite drop in birth rate

People in Ireland may be having fewer babies, but the government is paying out millions more to new parents, due to recent hikes in maternity benefits.

There was a 9 per cent drop in the number of people claiming statutory maternity and paternity benefit in Ireland last year.

Some 41,199 women claimed maternity leave in 2018, down from the 45,331 who claimed it in 2017. In 2018, 24,080 paternity benefit claims were awarded, ...