Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, following the independent self-employment review of February 2016, what steps he is taking to introduce a new adoption allowance for self-employed people.

The Government will consult in the summer on whether there is a case for greater parity in parental benefits between the employed and the self-employed.

Local Authorities may make a payment equivalent to Maternity Allowance in cases where adopters do not qualify for family related statutory pay because they are self-employed. This payment is discretionary and means-tested to ensure that resources are targeted at those adopters who need it most and is part of a package of post-adoption support.