§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many women have(a) requested and (b) received statutory maternity pay since its introduction; and if he will 'mike a statement on the success of the take-up of this entitlement. [169297]
§ Mr. Pond[holding answer 29 April 2004]: The information is not available in the format requested.
Employers are not required to make returns on the numbers of women to whom they pay Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP). However, numbers are estimated from the returns employers make to the Inland Revenue for the SMP they recover.
Between 1987, when SMP was introduced, and 2001–02 it is estimated that approximately 4.1 million women have received SMP.
A recent survey found that 93 per cent. of eligible women received Statutory Maternity Pay.