Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government has plans to increase statutory maternity pay.

The standard rate of Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) is reviewed annually, alongside state benefits, and is generally increased in line with the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). From April 2022 the standard rate of SMP increased to £156.66, in line with the September 2021 CPI rate of 3.1%.

Government already spends approximately £3 billion a year on maternity payments. Any changes to the rate of SMP would have to take account of economic circumstances and affordability for taxpayers and could not be made without consultation with businesses and other stakeholders.

The Government has no plans to increase the rate of SMP outside of the annual review of uprating.