Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government response to the First Report of the Women and Equalities Committee of Session 2016-17, Pregnancy and maternity discrimination, published on 26 January 2017, Cm 9401, when he plans to implement the Government's commitment to bring forward proposals to ensure that those protections in place for women who are pregnant or returning from maternity leave are sufficient.

Protection already exists through the Maternity and Parental Leave etc Regulations 1999. Where redundancy means that it is not practicable to continue to employ a woman on maternity leave under an existing contract, Regulation 10 requires an employer to offer appropriate alternative employment on terms which are not substantially less favourable. We are considering the implications of extending this right into the period when a new mother returns to work and into the period while she is pregnant and at work. In terms of initial consultation, we have also sought the views of the Alliance for Maternity Rights on other potential proposals.