Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether their Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to supporting its employees in balancing their work and family responsibilities. The FCDO offers Shared Parental Leave (SPL) to all eligible staff, providing them with the flexibility to share parental responsibilities from the very beginning of their employment.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.