Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of incorporating elements of shared parental leave models used in (a) Sweden and (b) other countries into her policies on shared parental leave.

The Shared Parental Leave and Pay scheme gives working families more choice and flexibility about who cares for their child in the first year, and when.

In 2019, the Government consulted on high-level options for reforming parental leave and pay and considered international evidence which suggested a range of factors that encourage parents to share work and childcare more equally.

We sought views on the benefits, costs and trade-offs that would flow from any such reform. The consultation and Government response are published below -

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/good-work-plan-proposals-to-support-families