Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a ban on making pregnant women and new mothers redundant between (a) notification of pregnancy and (b) six months after return to work.

The Government consulted on increasing redundancy protection for pregnant women and new mothers in 2019. In our response to the consultation, we said that the existing framework which applies while a mother is on Maternity Leave (Regulation 10 of the Maternity and Parental Leave etc.) would be extended into the period from the start of her pregnancy and for six months on return to work. We will also extend redundancy protection into a period of return to work for those taking shared parental leave and adoption leave.

We will introduce these changes as soon as Parliamentary time allows.