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1503900

registered interest
date	02/09/2022
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Paternity Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of reforming the provision of statutory paternity leave.
tabling member constituency	Grantham and Stamford
tabling member printed	Gareth Davies
uin	45560
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/09/2022 answer text <p>Our Paternity Leave entitlement enables eligible employed fathers to take two weeks of paid leave within the first eight weeks following the birth or adoption placement. Eligible employed fathers also have other entitlements to balance work with childcare, including paid annual leave, unpaid parental leave and the right to request flexible working.</p><p> </p><p>Shared Parental Leave allows eligible parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay in the first year.</p><p> </p><p>As set out in our Manifesto, we are committed to making it easier for fathers to take Paternity Leave. In 2019 the Government consulted on high-level options for reforming parental leave and pay. We are currently considering responses to the consultation and will respond in due course.</p> answering member constituency Watford answering member printed Dean Russell question first answered 22/09/2022 16:58:57 answering member 4812 label Biography information for Dean Russell
tabling member	4850 label Biography information for Gareth Davies

1419296

registered interest
date	02/02/2022
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Paternity Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of new fathers eligible to take Shared Parental Leave in each year since 2015-16.
tabling member constituency	Ellesmere Port and Neston
tabling member printed	Justin Madders
uin	116967
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2022 answer text <p>Shared Parental Leave (SPL) and Pay was introduced in December 2014 for the parents of children due or adopted from 5 April 2015. The scheme enables eligible working parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay in the first year, where the mother does not intend to use her full maternity entitlements.</p><p>The evaluation of the Shared Parental Leave and Pay scheme remains important for the Government, and we will publish our report in due course. This will include an up-to-date estimate of eligibility and take-up.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 10/02/2022 14:56:54 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4418 label Biography information for Justin Madders

1361171

registered interest
date	19/10/2021
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Paternity Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending paid paternity leave to new employees whose period in work is less than 26 weeks.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
uin	59080
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2021 answer text <p>As set out in our Manifesto, we are committed to making it easier for fathers to take Paternity Leave. In 2019 the Government consulted on high-level options for reforming parental leave and pay, this consultation included Paternity Leave and Pay. We are currently analysing the responses to the consultation and will respond in due course.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 22/10/2021 13:58:54 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1337970

registered interest
date	17/06/2021
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Paternity Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he has taken to encourage shared parental leave amongst fathers.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
uin	17866
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2021 answer text <p>On 17 June 2021, we launched a new online tool which will make it easier for parents to access Shared Parental Leave and Pay and easier for employers to administer the scheme. The launch of the tool was accompanied by targeted communications activity, including social media and an exclusive with one of the national newspapers. We have also run significant communications campaigns in the past, including a £1.5 million campaign in 2018.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is currently evaluating the Shared Parental Leave and Pay scheme to better understand the barriers and enablers to parents taking Shared Parental Leave. This exercise has included commissioning, and interrogating information collected from, large scale, representative, surveys of employers and parents and a qualitative study of parents who have used the scheme. We intend to publish our findings later this year.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 23/06/2021 16:51:43 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1314047

registered interest
date	12/05/2021
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Paternity Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Answer of 9 February 2021 to Question 146798 on Paternity Leave, what estimate his Department has made of the number of eligible fathers who took unpaid statutory shared parental leave in 2019-20.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham West and Penge
tabling member printed	Ellie Reeves
uin	831
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2021 answer text <p>The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy does not routinely collect data on the take-up of parental leave entitlements, including unpaid Shared Parental Leave. However, we are currently completing an extensive evaluation of the Shared Parental Leave and Pay schemes. This has included commissioning and interrogating information collected through large scale, representative, surveys of employers and parents. We also commissioned a qualitative study of parents who have used the schemes. The various data sources will give us a fuller picture of the level of take-up of paid and unpaid entitlements to Shared Parental Leave, tell us how the schemes are being used in practice, and help us to better understand the barriers and enablers to parents taking Shared Parental Leave. We will publish our findings later this year.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 21/05/2021 13:17:54 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4620 label Biography information for Ellie Reeves

1285056

registered interest
date	09/02/2021
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Paternity Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of shared parental leave is currently taken by the male partner in heterosexual couples.
tabling member constituency	North West Durham
tabling member printed	Mr Richard Holden
uin	151875
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/02/2021 answer text <p>The Government is currently conducting an evaluation of the Shared Parental Leave and Pay scheme which has included commissioning and interrogating information collected through large scale, representative, surveys of employers and parents and a qualitative study of parents who have used the scheme. We intend to publish our findings later this year and will then be in a position to share detailed data on the scheme.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 17/02/2021 15:45:05 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4813 label Biography information for Mr Richard Holden

1285057

registered interest
date	09/02/2021
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Paternity Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the rules on shared parental leave have to be legally the same for men and women working at the same company.
tabling member constituency	North West Durham
tabling member printed	Mr Richard Holden
uin	151876
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/02/2021 answer text <p>Parents who are eligible for Shared Parental Leave and Statutory Shared Parental Pay have the flexibility to share up to 50 weeks of Leave and 37 weeks of Statutory Pay between them, as they see fit. Both parents can use Shared Parental Leave to take leave in blocks separated by periods of work, or take it all in one go. They can also choose to be off work together or to stagger the leave and pay. For both parents, Shared Parental Pay is paid at the rate of £151.20 a week or 90% of their average weekly earnings, whichever is lower.</p><p> </p><p>Some employers may wish to offer occupational parental schemes for men and women taking shared parental leave, beyond the statutory requirements. The Shared Parental Leave and Pay: Employer’s technical guide published on gov.uk (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/shared-parental-leave-and-pay-employers-technical-guide" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/shared-parental-leave-and-pay-employers-technical-guide</a>) clearly states that it if an occupational scheme is offered to a mother on Shared Parental Leave, it could constitute sex discrimination if such an occupational scheme were not offered to fathers/a mother’s partner.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 17/02/2021 15:47:38 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4813 label Biography information for Mr Richard Holden

1282534

registered interest
date	01/02/2021
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Paternity Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish his Department's estimate of the take up of shared parental leave by fathers (a) on the latest figures available as (i) an absolute number and (ii) proportion of those fathers eligible and (b) for each quarter since the introduction of that policy as (i) an absolute number and (ii) a proportion of those eligible.
tabling member constituency	Doncaster North
tabling member printed	Edward Miliband
uin	146798
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2021 answer text <p>Shared Parental Leave (SPL) and Pay was introduced in December 2014 for the parents of children due or adopted from 5 April 2015. The scheme enables eligible working parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay in the first year, where the mother does not intend to use her full maternity entitlements.</p><p> </p><p>At the time of introduction, we estimated that c. 285,000 fathers or partners would be eligible for SPL a year and between 2 and 8 per cent of them would take up the entitlement.[1] Information provided by employers to HMRC in respect of claims for Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) suggests that take up is broadly in line with our initial forecast. Table 1 below shows the number of individuals in receipt of ShPP per quarter.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Table 1: Individuals in receipt of Statutory Shared Parental Pay based on the total number of individuals in that quarter<p><p> <br> </strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Statutory Shared Parental Pay (total number of claimants[1] in that quarter)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q1 15/16</p></td><td><p>1,500</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q2 15/16</p></td><td><p>1,900</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q3 15/16</p></td><td><p>2,200</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q4 15/16</p></td><td><p>3,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q1 16/17</p></td><td><p>3,100</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q2 16/17</p></td><td><p>3,300</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q3 16/17</p></td><td><p>3,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q4 16/17</p></td><td><p>3,300</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q1 17/18</p></td><td><p>3,400</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q2 17/18</p></td><td><p>3,700</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q3 17/18</p></td><td><p>3,300</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q4 17/18</p></td><td><p>3,400</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q1 18/19</p></td><td><p>3,600</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q2 18/19</p></td><td><p>4,200</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q3 18/19</p></td><td><p>4,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q4 18/19</p></td><td><p>4,100</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q1 19/20</p></td><td><p>4,500</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q2 19/20</p></td><td><p>5,500</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q3 19/20</p></td><td><p>4,600</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q4 19/20</p></td><td><p>4,800</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q1 20/21</p></td><td><p>4,200</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q2 20/21</p></td><td><p>2,600</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Notes</p><ol><li>Data collected uses HMRC Real Time Information (RTI) system and was extracted in December 2020. RTI is subject to revision or updates, and so there may be small fluctuations in figures reported, and these figures should not be considered “final”. This may especially be the case for the first two-quarters of 2020/21.</li><li>Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.</li><li>The table shows the number of individuals in receipt of ShPP per quarter, based on the total number of individuals in that quarter irrespective of when the payment first started. Quarterly figures should not be added together to make a yearly count of individuals in receipt of Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) due to double counting claimants from quarter to quarter.</li><li>For the 2015-16 tax year, those receiving Additional Statutory Paternity Pay (ASPP) for children born before 6 April 2015 cannot be distinguished from those claiming Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) within RTI data.</li><li>Data for individuals in receipt of Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) includes both mothers and fathers in receipt of ShPP, however fathers, on average, make up over three-quarters of all ShPP recipients.</li><li>This data represents individuals in receipt of Shared Parental Pay only, so those who take unpaid Shared Parental Leave are not included.</li></ol><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Eligible parents can also take unpaid SPL so information relating to claims of ShPP only gives a partial picture of take up. We are currently evaluating the Shared Parental Leave and Pay scheme, which includes large scale, representative surveys of employers and parents, and a qualitative study. We are currently analysing the data from the research that we commissioned and will report on the evaluation of the scheme later this year.</p><p> </p><p>We do not hold estimates of the number of fathers eligible for SPL by quarter, however in 2013 we estimated that c. 285,000 fathers or partners would be eligible for SPL a year.[2] We will update and publish an estimate of the number of parents who are eligible for SPL and an updated estimation of take-up rates for the scheme when we report on the evaluation.</p><p> </p><p><em>[1] Impact Assessment of Shared Parental Leave and Pay, BIS 2013 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2013/256/pdfs/ukia_20130256_en.pdf</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em>[2] See footnote 1</em></p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully grouped question UIN 146799 question first answered 09/02/2021 15:48:36 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	1510 label Biography information for Edward Miliband

1282535

registered interest
date	01/02/2021
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Paternity Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish his Department's estimate of the number of fathers who were eligible for shared parental leave in the latest quarter; and how many new fathers are ineligible for that leave because they do not meet criteria on work history or status.
tabling member constituency	Doncaster North
tabling member printed	Edward Miliband
uin	146799
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2021 answer text <p>Shared Parental Leave (SPL) and Pay was introduced in December 2014 for the parents of children due or adopted from 5 April 2015. The scheme enables eligible working parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay in the first year, where the mother does not intend to use her full maternity entitlements.</p><p> </p><p>At the time of introduction, we estimated that c. 285,000 fathers or partners would be eligible for SPL a year and between 2 and 8 per cent of them would take up the entitlement.[1] Information provided by employers to HMRC in respect of claims for Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) suggests that take up is broadly in line with our initial forecast. Table 1 below shows the number of individuals in receipt of ShPP per quarter.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Table 1: Individuals in receipt of Statutory Shared Parental Pay based on the total number of individuals in that quarter<p><p> <br> </strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Statutory Shared Parental Pay (total number of claimants[1] in that quarter)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q1 15/16</p></td><td><p>1,500</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q2 15/16</p></td><td><p>1,900</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q3 15/16</p></td><td><p>2,200</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q4 15/16</p></td><td><p>3,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q1 16/17</p></td><td><p>3,100</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q2 16/17</p></td><td><p>3,300</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q3 16/17</p></td><td><p>3,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q4 16/17</p></td><td><p>3,300</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q1 17/18</p></td><td><p>3,400</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q2 17/18</p></td><td><p>3,700</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q3 17/18</p></td><td><p>3,300</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q4 17/18</p></td><td><p>3,400</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q1 18/19</p></td><td><p>3,600</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q2 18/19</p></td><td><p>4,200</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q3 18/19</p></td><td><p>4,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q4 18/19</p></td><td><p>4,100</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q1 19/20</p></td><td><p>4,500</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q2 19/20</p></td><td><p>5,500</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q3 19/20</p></td><td><p>4,600</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q4 19/20</p></td><td><p>4,800</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q1 20/21</p></td><td><p>4,200</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q2 20/21</p></td><td><p>2,600</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Notes</p><ol><li>Data collected uses HMRC Real Time Information (RTI) system and was extracted in December 2020. RTI is subject to revision or updates, and so there may be small fluctuations in figures reported, and these figures should not be considered “final”. This may especially be the case for the first two-quarters of 2020/21.</li><li>Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.</li><li>The table shows the number of individuals in receipt of ShPP per quarter, based on the total number of individuals in that quarter irrespective of when the payment first started. Quarterly figures should not be added together to make a yearly count of individuals in receipt of Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) due to double counting claimants from quarter to quarter.</li><li>For the 2015-16 tax year, those receiving Additional Statutory Paternity Pay (ASPP) for children born before 6 April 2015 cannot be distinguished from those claiming Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) within RTI data.</li><li>Data for individuals in receipt of Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) includes both mothers and fathers in receipt of ShPP, however fathers, on average, make up over three-quarters of all ShPP recipients.</li><li>This data represents individuals in receipt of Shared Parental Pay only, so those who take unpaid Shared Parental Leave are not included.</li></ol><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Eligible parents can also take unpaid SPL so information relating to claims of ShPP only gives a partial picture of take up. We are currently evaluating the Shared Parental Leave and Pay scheme, which includes large scale, representative surveys of employers and parents, and a qualitative study. We are currently analysing the data from the research that we commissioned and will report on the evaluation of the scheme later this year.</p><p> </p><p>We do not hold estimates of the number of fathers eligible for SPL by quarter, however in 2013 we estimated that c. 285,000 fathers or partners would be eligible for SPL a year.[2] We will update and publish an estimate of the number of parents who are eligible for SPL and an updated estimation of take-up rates for the scheme when we report on the evaluation.</p><p> </p><p><em>[1] Impact Assessment of Shared Parental Leave and Pay, BIS 2013 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2013/256/pdfs/ukia_20130256_en.pdf</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em>[2] See footnote 1</em></p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully grouped question UIN 146798 question first answered 09/02/2021 15:48:36 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	1510 label Biography information for Edward Miliband

1177338

registered interest
date	10/02/2020
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Paternity Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps she is taking to improve access to paternity leave.
tabling member constituency	Bristol North West
tabling member printed	Darren Jones
uin	14738
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/02/2020 answer text <p>The Government is committed to maintaining and enhancing workers’ rights, and to supporting people to balance their work and caring responsibilities. We recently consulted on parental leave and pay reform, including Paternity Leave and Pay through a survey of approximately 3,300 parents, we are also collecting data on various parental leave and pay policies, including barriers and enablers to take-up. We will publish the consultation response and survey findings in due course.</p><p>The Government is committed to making the UK the best place to work and grow a business. As announced in the Queen’s Speech, we will bring forward an Employment Rights Bill to deliver the greatest reform of workers’ rights in over 20 years.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 18/02/2020 14:51:14 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4621 label Biography information for Darren Jones