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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on employees of the increased rate of bereavement during the covid-19 outbreak.

We recognise that the death of a close family member, friend, or colleague can be deeply upsetting. Grief is an extremely personal issue which affects different people in different ways: some people may find it helpful to take time off work whereas others may find work a helpful distraction.

The Government believes that individuals are best placed to understand their own specific needs and we encourage their employers to respond in an appropriate and sensitive way.

In April this year we introduced a new entitlement to Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay, recognising that the death of a child is particularly tragic. Whilst there is no equivalent entitlement for employees who suffer a bereavement in other circumstances, all employees have a ‘day 1’ right to take unpaid time off work for an emergency involving a dependant. Time off for Dependants can?also be used to deal with practical issues, including?registering the death and?making funeral arrangements. All employees also have access to 5.6 weeks of paid Annual Leave a year.