The Women and Equalities Committee have published a report looking at the barriers preventing parents from accessing paternity and shared parental leave, and how the system can be improved.
The report comes on the back of the Government committing to carrying out a full review of the parental leave system alongside proposed reforms in the Employment Rights Bill such as making statutory paternity leave a day-one right – however, as it stands, statutory paternity pay will still require 26 week’s of continuous employment with the employer in order for an individual to be eligible.
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In the report, the Committee highlight in detail the current flaws in the parental leave system, emphasising on the fact that the paternity leave entitlement in the UK is equal to the least generous in European Union countries and one of the worst in the developed world. Paternity leave in the UK entitles eligible fathers and non-birthing partners to up to two weeks’ leave paid at the statutory rate, currently set at £187.18 per week.
Recommendations
The report includes a range of proposals and recommendations for the Government to consider which have been split into urgent priorities and longer-term proposals.
Priority recommendations in the report, those the Committee believe should be implemented over the course of the current parliament, include:
- Increasing statutory paternity pay to 90% of weekly earnings (the same as the first six weeks of statutory maternity pay).
- Extending the period of statutory paternity leave to six weeks.
Additionally, the Committee also recommend longer term courses of action for the Government which include:
- Phased increases to statutory payments across the board – it is suggested they should be set at 80% of weekly earnings or the Real Living Wage.
- Reforms to shared parental leave including simplifying eligibility criteria to make it accessible to more parents, as well as reviewing the financial support available for those opting to use it.
- Implementing a Paternity Allowance, equivalent to the current Maternity Allowance, so self-employed fathers can access the provision.
- Extending access to parental leave entitlements to kinship carers.
- Increasing the entitlements to parental leave for single parents and parents of multiple birth.
- Reviewing discrimination protections for fathers who take or who are looking to take paternity leave.
- Addressing the wider societal and cultural barriers to fathers and other parents taking parental leave.
While these recommendations aren’t binding, they place additional pressure on the Government to deliver on improving the rights of working parents through the Employment Rights Bill and the promised parental leave review.
Employers should be mindful that any changes to family leave entitlements, either through the Bill or other methods, will not only require changes to documentation, but may have operational impacts such as more people taking more time off.
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