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Written Question
Parental Leave and Parental Pay: Coronavirus
Monday 20th July 2020

Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)

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 take steps to introduce neonatal (a) leave and (b) pay for families affected by covid-19.

Answered by Paul Scully

We recognise that parents of sick and premature babies are in an extremely difficult and distressing position and that Covid-19 has made it difficult for some parents to spend time with their children. The social distancing measures that we put in place have, however, been necessary to save lives – including those of new parents and their babies – and protect the NHS.

As announced in the Queen’s Speech, we intend to bring forward an Employment Bill which will include measures to allow parents of children who have spent time in neonatal care to take additional paid leave (subject to qualifying criteria). We intend to legislate as soon as Parliamentary time allows.


Written Question
Parental Leave: Childbirth
Wednesday 4th September 2019

Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will conduct an impact assessment of the potential effects of extending statutory maternity and paternity leave for parents with ill or premature babies.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

The Government has recently announced a consultation on parental leave and pay entitlements. This included a proposal for Neonatal Leave and Pay, a new entitlement for parents of babies who require neonatal care following birth, as a result of being born prematurely or sick.

The consultation itself includes a high-level summary of the costs associated with the policy proposal. In addition, we will prepare an impact assessment and will publish this in due course.


Written Question
Parental Leave
Wednesday 26th June 2019

Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2019 to Question 264463 on Parental Leave: Childbirth, for how long the consultation will last.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

We anticipate the public consultation on options for providing further support to parents of premature, sick and multiple babies will last for 12 weeks. This will be confirmed when the consultation document is published.


Written Question
Parental Leave
Wednesday 26th June 2019

Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to The Prime Minister's oral contribution of 28 November 2018, Official Report, column 246 and pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2019 to Question 264462, on Parental Leave: Childbirth, whether the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has informed her of his reasons for the key findings of the review of the provisions for parents of premature babies to not now be shared with interested parties.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

The review of provisions for parents of premature babies was an internal review undertaken by officials of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to help them provide advice to Ministers. Advice to Ministers is not routinely shared outside of Government departments.

As indicated in my response to Question 264462, the findings of this review will help to inform the public consultation on options for further support for parents of premature, sick and multiple babies, which we will launch before the end of the Summer.

We look forward to working with interested parties during the consultation process.


Written Question
Parental Leave: Childbirth
Tuesday 18th June 2019

Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, of 11 June 2019, Official Report, column 533, whether he plans to publish the findings of his Department’s internal review of provision for parents of premature, sick and multiple babies.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

As I explained to the House on 11 June 2019, we will consult on options for providing further support to the parents of premature, sick and multiple babies before the end of the Summer. The consultation will be informed by the findings of the internal review conducted by the Department.


Written Question
Parental Leave: Childbirth
Tuesday 18th June 2019

Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the oral contribution of the Prime Minister of 28 November 2018, Official Report, column 246, and pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, of 11 June 2019, Official Report, column 533, whether the key findings of his Department’s internal review of provision for parents of premature, sick and multiple babies have been shared with interested parties.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

The Department will consult on options for providing further support to the parents of premature, sick and multiple babies before the end of the Summer. The consultation will be informed by the findings of this review, including information provided by Bliss, The Smallest Things, and TAMBA. I am very grateful to these organisations for their support in this matter.

We will continue to work with interested parties as we consider the options for providing further support to these parents.


Written Question
Parental Leave
Tuesday 18th June 2019

Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, of 11 June 2019, Official Report, column 533, what the timeframe is for the start of the consultation on the options to provide further support to the parents of premature, sick and multiple babies.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

Following the internal review of provisions for parents of premature, sick and multiple babies, the Department will consult on options for providing further support for parents in these groups before the end of the Summer.


Written Question
Parental Leave
Tuesday 18th June 2019

Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on the provision of parental leave for parents of sick children.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

Following the internal review of provisions for parents or premature, sick and multiple babies that was conducted by the Department, we will consult on options for providing further support to the parents of premature, sick and multiple babies before the end of the Summer. The consultation will be informed by the findings of this review.

I am very grateful to Bliss, The Smallest Things and TAMBA for the support that they have provided to BEIS officials on this matter.


Written Question
Parental Leave: Childbirth
Monday 20th May 2019

Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the Government will publish its internal review of the rules on paid leave for parents of premature babies and sick babies and those that experience multiple births.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy recently conducted a short, focussed internal review for the purpose of providing advice to Ministers. There are no plans to publish the advice that makes up this review.


Written Question
Employment: Parents
Tuesday 14th May 2019

Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)

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 effectiveness of support available to parents who have to return to work while their premature and sick babies remain in neonatal or intensive care.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy recently conducted a short, focussed internal review of the provisions for parents of premature, sick and multiple babies for the purpose of providing advice to Minsters.

We are currently exploring a range of policy options for providing further support to parents in this position, recognising that the UK entitlement to 52 weeks of Maternity Leave among the most generous maternity rights in the world.