Source · Select Committees · Petitions Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Not Addressed
Paragraph: 15
The Government’s response has argued that the UK’s maternity leave offer is already amongst the...
Recommendation
The Government’s response has argued that the UK’s maternity leave offer is already amongst the most generous in the world. Although up to 52 weeks leave is generous compared to other countries, the amount of maternity pay is not the most generous in the world. While we accept that other more generous schemes are often not funded by the state, it remains the case that many new mothers in the UK can’t afford to take their full leave entitlement. Successive governments have not examined systematically enough the scale of take-up of the full maternity leave available, and reasons for not taking their full entitlements. This would better enable us to consider the suitability of current arrangements. The Government should capture data on the uptake of parental leave, as well as pay, so that any future review of parental leave arrangements can consider the extent to which parents from all groups are able to use their entitlements.
Government Response Summary
The government's response does not address the recommendation to capture data on the uptake of parental leave and pay, instead focusing on defending the generosity and flexibility of existing maternity leave arrangements and rejecting the idea of extending entitlements.
Paragraph Reference:
15
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
We agree that having access to data, including data on the uptake of parental leave and pay, is important in considering any future reforms and to better understand the impact of our current policies. Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) routinely collect data on statutory parental pay for employed parents, and DWP also collect data on Maternity Allowance, including on the number of new claims. Maternity Allowance is a benefit paid to self-employed mothers and employed mothers who do not qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay. The Government also periodically commissions surveys which provide information on statutory parental leave and pay, including on barriers and enablers to take-up and how parents are using their entitlements in practice. We are currently drawing together information collected through the 2019–20 Maternity and Paternity Rights Survey, which, amongst other things, sought views from over 3300 parents on maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental entitlements. The survey is representative of parents in Great Britain and will be a valuable source of information for analysts and policy makers. In addition, we have been undertaking the 2020 Employee Rights (and Experience) Survey which will update on take-up of unpaid parental leave and adoption leave for children aged 0–17. We will use this information to evaluate our current policies and to inform future policy development. These surveys will be published in due course.