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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will include provisions in the forthcoming Employment Bill to ensure that neonatal leave and pay is accessible to all parents with a baby in neonatal care, including those parents who are under 25 years old.

On 1 March 2020, we published the Government’s Response to the 2019 consultation on Neonatal Leave and Pay which committed to introducing a new entitlement to Neonatal Leave and Pay.

The entitlement will apply to all parents of babies who are admitted into hospital up to the age of 28 days, and who have a continuous stay in hospital of seven days or more. The period of leave and pay available to parents will be capped at 12 weeks. Neonatal Leave will be a ‘day one’ right, available to an employee from the first day of employment in their job.

We will bring forward legislation to introduce Neonatal Leave and Pay when parliamentary time allows.