Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) financial and (b) psychological effect on self-employed people of being unable to access statutory maternity and paternity leave pay.

The Department has not conducted any analysis of the psychological or financial impacts on self-employed people who are ineligible for statutory family related leave and pay entitlements.

Maternity Allowance (MA) is paid to eligible self-employed and employed women who are not entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay. Statutory family related leave entitlements focus on employees as they have less flexibility and autonomy over the work they do and when they take time off work.

The Government agrees with the principle of equalising parental benefits for the employed and self-employed. But as set out in the Government Response to the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices, it is right to only consider making changes to this area once we have carefully considered this in the wider context of tax, benefits and rights over the longer term.