Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department offers paternity leave to its staff from their first working day.
Paternity leave is offered from the first working day for employees. Those who have been employed for less than 26 weeks are entitled to one week, and those employed for more than 26 weeks continuously are entitled to two weeks. Those who have worked for another Government Department prior to their arrival at the Department may be eligible for two weeks paternity leave from their first working day.
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.