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 applying equivalent maternity rights for women in permanent employment to women in casual, fixed-term or zero-hours employment contracts.

Entitlement to statutory employment rights, including family related statutory leave and pay, is determined by the individual’s employment status and not the type of contract that they have. This means that many women on casual, fixed-term or zero-hours contracts will already enjoy the same maternity benefits as women in full-time, permanent employment.

The wide ranging independent review of Modern Employment Practices is looking at the impact of non-standard forms of employment on security, pay and rights