Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help support the parents of (a) twins and (b) other multiple births; if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional maternity pay to those parents; and if she will hold discussions with Twins Trust on steps to support such families.

The DWP wants new mothers to be able to take time away from work in the interests of their own and their baby’s health and wellbeing.

That is why maternity pay is primarily a health and safety provision for pregnant working women and is paid for each pregnancy, not in respect of each child. Maternity pay is not and has never been intended to replace a woman's earnings completely nor is it intended to help with the cost of having a baby; rather, it provides a measure of financial security to help pregnant working women to take time off work in the later stages of their pregnancy and in the months following childbirth.

There are two types of maternity pay available to pregnant working women

• Statutory Maternity Pay paid by employers to, and

• Maternity Allowance paid by the Department for Work and Pensions to eligible women (including the self-employed and women in employment who are not eligible for SMP).

Additional financial support is available depending on individual circumstances, such as Universal Credit and Child Benefit. The Sure Start Maternity Grant (a lump sum payment of £500) may also be available. For more information about benefits and financial support available to pregnant women and their families can be found on www.gov.uk via the Childcare and Parenting link on the home page.

In terms of wider support for parents, the Government committed in its manifesto to review parental leave to ensure that it best supports working families. This is an opportunity to engage with stakeholders on this issue. Further details of the review will be announced in due course.

It’s worth noting that maternity pay is devolved to Northern Ireland and is therefore governed by its own set of legislation. The responsibility for maternity pay policy in Northern Ireland sits with the Department for Communities.