The government has undertaken a comprehensive review of parental pay and leave to help working families get the best possible start in life.
The government has launched a major review on parental leave and pay, the first in Britain. This will benefit millions of families.
This review, as part of the government’s Plan for Change will examine how to modernise the parental leave system to help support families today and grow the economy.
The review will examine the entire system, from shared parental leave to maternity and paternity leaves, to determine how it could work better for both parents and employers.
Nicola Wallbank is a partner in the leading law firm Freeths and she said:
The Government launched today a much-needed full review of parental pay and leave to help working families get a better start in life and support children. The review will examine all forms of family leave, including maternity, paternity and adoption leave, to determine how they can be improved for both parents and employers.
This announcement follows a recent report by the Women and Equalities Committee which concluded that the existing system of paternity leave is “completely out-of-step with how most couples wish to share their parental responsibilities”, and “entrenches old gender stereotypes regarding caring”.
Fathers and partners of the same sexe in the UK are entitled to up to two weeks statutory paternity leaves. The leave must be taken in the first 52 weeks after a child is born and pays PS187.18 per week, or 90% of average earnings (whichever is less). The current system is a mess, as many fathers, and partners of the same sexe, fall through the cracks. The current system is a mess. Many fathers and same-sex partners are left out, especially those who have not been with their employer long enough (i.e.
In 2014, the shared parental leave program was introduced to allow dads to take a greater role in parenting during the first year. The shared parental leave scheme allows parents to switch from maternity leave to the shared leave system, allowing up to 50 weeks leave and 37 pay weeks to be taken by both parents. My experience as an employer lawyer is that shared parental leave is not widely used. This is due to the complexity of the system (which employers and employees don’t fully understand) and the fact that the shared parental leave effectively takes away the leave from the parent who is on maternity leave.
In the current system, many employers, especially those with larger staffs, have taken it upon themselves, to offer enhanced parental benefits, including maternity, paternity and adoption. This is done to show their support for their employees and to provide them with a wider range of attractive benefits. Often, advice is sought to ensure that such policies are non-discriminatory and fair.
It is clear that a more balanced and better-balanced system would benefit many families, especially those with lower incomes. While most people agree that having both parents spend more time with their children is a great thing, small businesses are likely to be worried about the extra costs or the strain on resources that could result.
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