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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) extending the period of and (b) increasing rates of pay for (a) maternity, (b) paternity and (c) joint parental leave.

The Government believes that, overall, the current arrangements for parental leave and pay in the UK are generous and flexible. This includes offering 52 weeks of maternity leave, of which 39 are paid, which is more than three times the EU minimum requirement.

Employment legislation sets out minimum employment rights which employers must offer to their employees. Many employers choose to offer more generous contractual provisions for their staff because they recognise the benefits this brings to their business as well as to their employees.

In 2019, the Government consulted on high-level options and principles for reforming the parental leave and pay system. We are also carrying out an evaluation of the Shared Parental Leave and Pay scheme. We intend to publish our response to the consultation and the findings of the evaluation later this year.