Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a statutory right for mothers to take breaks for breastfeeding in the workplace.

The Government encourages breastfeeding and recommends employers enable women to breastfeed as a matter of best practice.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is conducting research on pregnancy and maternity-related discrimination and disadvantage in the workplace; which includes the experiences of mothers returning to work from maternity leave. This research will identify the number of mothers who would like to breastfeed or express milk in the workplace but do not; either because they are not allowed to, or because they think they would not be allowed to. These results will help to assess the scale of unmet demand from mothers to take breaks for breastfeeding in the workplace. The research results will be published in due course.

Alongside the new entitlement to shared parental leave the Government will continue to work with employers to highlight the business benefits of supporting breastfeeding; and promote best practice and guidance. BIS will continue to keep under review the evidence around this issue.