AQW 1376/16-21

Mrs Naomi Long
Alliance Party
East Belfast

Tabled Date: 17/06/2016
Answered On Date: 24/10/2016
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy to outline (i) why self-employed parents, who have adopted a child, cannot receive statutory adoption pay; and (ii) what consideration has been made in allowing access to this pay.

Answer:

Current UK wide arrangements do not extend the right to receive statutory adoption pay to self-employed parents, and my predecessors have historically opted to continue to maintain policies consistent with this position.

I have asked officials to review options in this policy area to enable me to determine whether there is a persuasive case for change.