Select Committee · Petitions Committee

Impact of Covid-19 on new parents: one year on

Status: Closed Opened: 5 Jul 2021 Closed: 21 Feb 2022 18 recommendations 8 conclusions 1 report

One year on from the publication of its report on the impact of Covid-19 on maternity and parental leave, the Petitions Committee will hear from expert witnesses about the progress made against the problems identified and recommendations made to the Government in the report.

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on new parents: one year… HC 479 7 Oct 2021 26 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

5 items
12 Recommendation First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n… Not Addressed

We recommend that the Government urgently engage with the Health and Safety Executive and relevant...

We recommend that the Government urgently engage with the Health and Safety Executive and relevant stakeholder groups to review HSE’s monitoring and enforcement activity specifically relating to employers’ health and safety obligations to pregnant women. Any barriers to at-scale enforcement of these obligations must be quickly resolved, to ensure that …

Government response. The government's response did not address the recommendation concerning the review of HSE's health and safety monitoring and enforcement for pregnant women or the requirement for HSE to record and publish related enforcement details. Instead, it discussed planned extensions of …
14 Recommendation First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n… Not Addressed

We echo our recommendation from last year’s report that the Government should legislate as soon...

We echo our recommendation from last year’s report that the Government should legislate as soon as possible to introduce its planned extension of redundancy protections for new and expectant mothers. It must clarify a timeframe for doing this, and, if there is not sufficient parliamentary time to consider a full …

Government response. The government's response did not address the recommendation to legislate urgently for extended redundancy protections for new and expectant mothers or provide a timeframe. Instead, it stated that the government is considering extending the time limit for bringing Equality Act …
15 Recommendation First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n… Not Addressed

We also repeat our previous recommendation that the Government should extend the period in which...

We also repeat our previous recommendation that the Government should extend the period in which new and expectant parents may bring claims to an employment tribunal. The Government must urgently conclude its work to consider this change and clarify when and how it will be implemented. (Paragraph 51) Childcare accessibility …

Government response. The government's response focuses on current childcare provision, funding, and parental leave rights, without addressing the recommendation to extend the period for new and expectant parents to bring claims to an employment tribunal.
18 Recommendation First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n… Not Addressed

We support the call of petitioners for an independent review into childcare funding and affordability.

We support the call of petitioners for an independent review into childcare funding and affordability. We recommend that the Government should commission such a review, to consider how to provide greater financial security to the sector following the pandemic, as well as consulting with parents on how to ensure childcare …

Government response. The government did not commit to commissioning an independent review into childcare funding and affordability. Instead, they highlighted a new £500 million investment package for families and early years, detailing specific allocations for mental health support, Family Hubs, and staff …
20 Recommendation First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on n… Not Addressed

Ahead of the 2021 Spending Review, we recommend that the Government assess which elements of...

Ahead of the 2021 Spending Review, we recommend that the Government assess which elements of the Best Start for Life Review’s implementation could be accelerated—in particular, opportunities to grow the health visiting workforce—and provide targeted funding to help achieve this.

Government response. The government's response did not address the recommendation to assess and accelerate elements of the Best Start for Life Review implementation, particularly growing the health visiting workforce and providing targeted funding. Instead, it focused on the importance and safety of …

Oral evidence sessions

1 session
Date Witnesses
14 Jul 2021 Bethany Power, Petition signatory · Private citizen, Dr Sarah McMullen · NCT (National Childbirth Trust), Emily Tredget · Happity, Joeli Brearley · Pregnant Then Screwed, Neil Leitch · Early Years Alliance, Rosalind Bragg · Maternity Action, Sally Hogg · Parent-Infant Foundation, Sue Armstrong Brown · Adoption UK View ↗

Correspondence

1 letter
DateDirectionTitle
15 Dec 2021 Correspondence from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Vaccines and…