Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, following the independent self-employment review of February 2016, what steps he is taking to enhance the level of maternity allowance for self-employed people.

The Government has recently announced that it will consult in the summer on whether there is a case for greater parity in parental benefits between the employed and the self-employed. We are in the process of considering the scope of the consultation, which will include Maternity Allowance.