Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of (a) extending the period during which Statutory Maternity Pay is paid at 90 per cent of average weekly earnings from six to 12 weeks and (b) linking the rate payable for the remaining 33 weeks to the National Minimum Wage; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the current level of Statutory Maternity Pay on (i) the financial circumstances of new mothers and (ii) the timing of their return to work.

I refer the hon. Members to the answer given on 24 April 2026 to Question UIN 124467.