National Insurance Act 1965

23 Maternity grant.

(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, a woman shall be entitled to a maternity grant of the amount specified in relation thereto in Schedule 4 to this Act if she has been confined and either—

(a) she or her husband satisfies the contribution conditions set out in paragraph 2(1) of Schedule 2 to this Act; or

(b) she satisfies either—

(i) the contribution conditions for a maternity allowance; or

(ii) any contribution conditions which she is required to satisfy in order to become entitled to a maternity allowance at a reduced rate by virtue of regulations under section 45 of this Act.

(2) Except where regulations otherwise provide, a woman shall not be entitled to a maternity grant in respect of a confinement if on the date of the confinement she is outside Great Britain.

(3) Regulations may provide that a woman confined of twins or a greater number of children shall, if the other conditions for the payment of a maternity grant are satisfied in respect of the confinement, be entitled to a maternity grant for each of them.

(4) Regulations may provide that the provisions of this section shall apply to a woman, in a case where her claim indicates that she so desires, with the substitution for the condition that she has been confined of the condition that she is pregnant and has reached a stage in her pregnancy which is not more than the prescribed number of contribution weeks before that in which it is to be expected that she will be confined, and may modify the contribution conditions for a maternity grant in their application to such a case.

(5) Subject to the provisions of subsection (3) of this section, a woman shall not be entitled to more than one maternity grant in respect of any one confinement.

(6) For the purposes of this section the expression " husband " includes a widow's late husband where the benefit is claimed in respect of a posthumous son or daughter of his.