§ Miss Richardsonasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many women in the last 12 months have received statutory maternity pay from their employer; and if he will estimate the number of women in the last 12 months who have qualified for maternity pay under the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978, but who did not receive it.
§ Mr. AlisonThe number of women who have received maternity pay and in respect of whom rebate has been paid to the employer by my Department in the 12 months ending 31 January 1982 is 123,325. There are no official figures for the number of women who have qualified for maternity pay but who did not receive it. However, a recent survey conducted for my Department indicates that, of the women included in the survey, a substantial minority, particularly among those who were employed by small firms, failed to receive maternity pay when they were qualified for it.