Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the potential impact of extending the statutory minimum paternity leave on (a) early childhood development and (b) reliance on formal childcare in a child's first year.

The government is committed to supporting working families and is already delivering on this commitment. The Employment Rights Bill will make Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave ‘day one’ rights, increasing flexibility for families and helping them to better balance work and family responsibilities.

The government has also committed to a review of the whole parental leave system. This review will assess the effectiveness of the current system across a range of metrics, ensuring it offers the best possible support to working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.