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Closed Increase statutory maternity pay to match other government pay amounts

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Becoming a parent can result in a significant reduction in income, causing many families to face cash flow problems.

Many working parents are forced to return to work before a time which is best for their own mental health/the wellbeing of the child due to financial difficulties.

Statutory maternity pay is currently the lower of 90% of your weekly wage (pre-tax) or £145.18 per week.
This is significantly lower than the state pension (£164.35 p/w)
This is lower than the benefits cap (£384.62 p/w).

Although becoming a parent is (for many) a choice, SMP is not sufficient to pay monthly bills and also provide for a child. This means many parents either delay or do not have children (and pregnancies are more high risk with older mothers), or are forced to return to work.

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    If this petition gets 10,000 signatures, government will respond to it.

    If this petition gets 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

    This petition will stay open until 22 April 2019.