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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential (a) health and (b) economic benefits of introducing a statutory right to two weeks bereavement leave for employees in the event of the death of a dependant.

In April this year we introduced a new statutory entitlement to Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay for parents who lose a child under the age of 18. Whilst this entitlement is not available to 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.