Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average length of paternity leave taken by staff in (a) his Department and (b) the armed forces was in each of the last three years.
Our records show that between 2021 and October 2024, Ministry of Defence employees have taken paternity leave for the birth or adoption of a child.
The average working days taken (AWDT) for civilian and military personnel is shown in the tables below.
Calendar Year | AWDT Civilian Personnel |
2021 | 13.3 |
2022 | 12.7 |
2023 | 12.9 |
2024 Jan-Oct | 12.5 |
Data covers the entire civilian workforce (includes DE&S and SDA)
Data includes Paternity Leave, Paternity Leave Birth and Paternity Leave Adoption
Calendar Year | AWDT Military Personnel |
2021 | 13.6 |
2022 | 13.7 |
2023 | 13.6 |
2024 Jan-Oct | 13.7 |
Data includes Paternity Leave, Paternity Leave Birth and Paternity Leave Adoption
- including any unpaid and deferred elements