§ Mrs. Helen JacksonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what maternity benefit is available for mothers of adopted babies.
§ Mr. BurtThe two main maternity benefits, statutory maternity pay and maternity allowance, are available only to natural mothers and are intended to provide a measure of income replacement to help working women give up work around the time of the birth in the interests of their own and the unborn baby's well-being.
The social fund, however, provides a non-recoverable flat-rate maternity payment to families receiving income support, family credit or disability working allowance. Payment is made to qualifying adoptive parents if the adopted child is less than one-year-old.
Adoptive parents can also claim child benefit and, where appropriate, increases of other benefits for adopted children.