Parents have been urged by the Government to apply for extra paid leave as part of a new initiative that was launched last month.
The new plan came into affect on April 1 and was brought in as part of the Programme for Government.
It relates to parental leave - and is a helping hand for new parents.
Over 7,500 people have already availed of the new Parent's Benefit.
What is Parent's Benefit?
Parent's Benefit is the payment which saw Parent's Leave extended from two to five weeks as per a commitment in the Programme for Government.
Since the changes came into effect, the Department of Social Protection has awarded Parent’s Benefit to some 7,724 parents.
In comparison, just 702 parents availed of Parent’s Benefit in April 2020, when the support was paid at two weeks.
How is Parent's Benefit paid?
Parent’s Benefit is paid at €245 per week - the same rate as Maternity, Paternity and Adoptive benefits.
Since the start of this year, some 12,581 applications for Parent’s Benefit have been awarded compared to 15,729 for the whole of 2020.
What have the Government said?
Commenting today, Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys said:
“The figures I am publishing today show that thousands of families are benefitting from the new Parents Benefit.
“They also demonstrate that so many parents are availing of the opportunity to spend a longer period of quality time with their new born child.
“The increase in Parent’s Leave from two weeks to five weeks follows on from legislation steered through the Oireachtas by my colleague, the Minister for Children, Roderic O’Gorman.
“I am very conscious of the joy and excitement that a birth brings to a family. I know too that the early months in a child’s life are such an important time in terms of developing that precious bond with your parents.
“Therefore, I’m delighted to see such large numbers of parents availing of the additional three weeks of Parent’s Benefit and I urge all eligible parents to apply for this important support via MyWelfare.
“I am also reminding parents that this extension applies retrospectively meaning every parent who has already availed of the 2 weeks leave will be able to take an extra 3 weeks paid leave.”
Why was Parent's Benefit brought in?
As part of Budget 2021, Parent’s Leave was increased from 2 weeks to 5 weeks per parent in respect of children born on or after 1st November 2019.
This allows working parents to spend more time with their new-born children during these important and formative years.
How do I apply for Parent's Benefit?
The quickest and easiest way to apply for Parent’s Benefit is online at www.MyWelfare.ie. This is a platform which is safe, secure and accessible anytime, anywhere and on all devices.
