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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the timetable is for publication of ACAS guidelines for employers whose employees have a baby born premature or sick; and what plans his Department has to ensure that those guidelines are (a) implemented and (b) evaluated.

The Government is committed to supporting working parents of premature babies and giving their employers the tools that they need to deal with requests for additional time off work and flexible working arrangements.

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) published comprehensive guidance for employers on 5 September 2017 to help employers support staff with premature or sick babies. The guidance covers topics from offering financial support to parents paying extra childcare costs to the statutory pay and leave to which employees may be entitled.

We believe that this will help working families to understand the options available to them, as well as enabling employers to provide the best possible support to their staff at this difficult and stressful time. We will keep this under review.