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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the appropriateness of the eight week notice period mothers on maternity leave must give employers before returning to work and being placed on the Job Retention Scheme.

Maternity Leave is provided to enable employed pregnant women and new mothers to prepare for and recover from birth and bond with their child.

The eight week notice period for women returning to work before the end of Maternity Leave enables employers to plan around a woman’s return to work. This may include consideration of whether the individual should be placed on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), depending on the employer’s circumstances. The decision to furlough an employee is something that needs to be agreed between the employer and employee.