Maternity Pay: Coronavirus

(asked on 5th May 2020) - View Source

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending maternity pay for people affected by the covid-19 outbreak.


Answered by
Steve Barclay Portrait
Steve Barclay
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
This question was answered on 13th May 2020

The Government has committed to a targeted, multi-billion-pound package of unprecedented support for individuals, families and businesses affected by the virus, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

We have taken steps to ensure that furloughed workers who are planning on taking family-related leave, including Maternity Leave, on or after 25 April, will be entitled to pay based on their usual earnings rather than their furloughed pay rate. In addition, where employers ‘top-up’ statutory pay on a contractual basis, they will be able to claim for these payments through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme for furloughed workers.

The Government has prioritised measures which are targeted towards the most vulnerable and can be delivered safely and swiftly. The UK has one of the most generous periods of Maternity Leave in the world; mothers can already choose to take up to 12 months leave, 39 weeks of which are paid. Therefore the Government currently has no further plans to extend family-related leave and pay.

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