CIPP survey on parental bereavement leave and pay
08 May 2018
The government is consulting on the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Bill which is currently being considered in Parliament. If approved it will create a statutory right to time off work for employed parents, with pay where eligibility requirements are met, following the loss of a child.
The government has committed to ensuring that all bereaved parents are able to take some time away from work and is supporting Kevin Hollinrake MP’s Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Bill. If the Bill passes successfully through Parliament, it will ensure many bereaved parents in the future to have time away from work to grieve.
The Bill
The Bill provides for a minimum of 2 weeks of leave to be available to all employed parents who lose a child under the age of 18. If the Bill is passed and once it has been brought into force, parents will be entitled to this leave irrespective of the length of service with their employer, and the entitlement will apply in respect of each child.
Parents whose average earnings over a prescribed reference period meet the Lower Earnings Limit and have at least 26 weeks’ continuous service with their employer (at the end of the week before the week of their child’s death) will be entitled to receive Parental Bereavement Pay. This will be paid by their employer but the employer will be able to reclaim a large proportion of it from HM Revenue & Customs. It will be paid at the statutory flat rate or 90% of weekly average earnings where that is lower.
Existing provisions for other family-related leave and pay rights, such as Maternity, Paternity, and Shared Parental Leave and Pay, will be unaffected by this statutory right. Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay will be a new, additional right.
The Bill provides for certain details of the provisions for Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay to be specified in regulations by the Government, subject to agreement by Parliament. The government wants to use this consultation to seek the views of parents and employers on several points so that the details are right.
CIPP Survey
The CIPP policy team has produced a survey which includes 11 questions, six of which are multiple choice. The survey should not take longer than 10-15 minutes (dependant on how much you have to say in the free text boxes). We would really appreciate your input to help inform our response. Thank you in advance for your time.
The survey will close on Monday 28 May at 11.45.