Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent progress he has made through the parental leave and pay review in assessing the potential merits of introducing a statutory entitlement to paid leave for kinship carers comparable to entitlements available to other working families.

The Government’s Parental Leave and Pay Review will conclude in early 2027 with a set of findings which outline next steps for implementing any reforms.

In addition to considering all current parental leave and pay entitlements, the Review is considering the needs of working families who do not qualify for existing leave and pay entitlements, such as kinship carers.

The Government is also supporting kinship carers through other mechanisms and has recently launched a kinship pilot to support up to 5,000 children by paying eligible carers an allowance equivalent to the Fostering National Minimum Allowance.