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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to establish a statutory period of parental leave for bereaved parents whose children have experienced birth complications or post-natal incidents.

The Government is supporting the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Bill introduced by the hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton. The Bill provides for a new legal minimum period of two weeks’ leave, which will be a day one right, to enable bereaved parents to take time away from work to grieve if that is what they need. The Bill successfully completed its House of Commons stages on 11 May and was introduced to the House of Lords on 14 May.

Parents who lose their child in circumstances such as these would still remain entitled to their full Maternity and Paternity Leave and Pay.

The UK has one of the most generous maternity leave entitlements in the world. We believe it is able to cater for a variety of circumstances, including situations where there are birth complications or post-natal incidents.

Government would expect employers to treat their employees with compassion and flexibility during these difficult times.