HC Deb 02 November 1993 vol 231 c194W
Mrs. Helen Jackson

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what maternity benefit is available for mothers of adopted babies.

Mr. Burt

The 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.