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More than 90,000 people have signed a petition calling for statutory maternity and paternity pay to be increased to match the minimum wage.

Presently, statutory maternity and paternity pay is set at £4.99 per hour for a full-time worker on 37.5 hours per week. This is well below the £12.21 minimum wage for workers over 21.

The petition reads: “If the National Living Wage is £12.21 per hour to legally enforce and ensure a basic standard of living, why is statutory maternity or paternity pay just £4.99 per hour?

“We feel that working parents, especially women, who contribute to the tax system are being pushed into poverty at their most vulnerable time. We believe this undermines family stability and suggests the Government does not prioritise childbirth or its economic value.”

The petition is hosted on the parliamentary petitions website. As a result, if it receives 100,000 signatures it will be considered for a debate in the House of Commons.

As the petition has reached more than 10,000 signatures it has already received a formal response from the government. The government said:  “Parental pay entitlements are intended to provide a measure of financial security to parents to care for their child(ren). However, they are not intended to replace earnings.”

91,026 people had signed the petition at the time of publication.