Source · Select Committees · Petitions Committee
Recommendation 21
21
Accepted in Part
Paragraph: 115
The current crisis has put new parents, particularly mothers, at increased risk of redundancy and...
Recommendation
The current crisis has put new parents, particularly mothers, at increased risk of redundancy and hardship. New and expectant mothers are already a group who are vulnerable to discrimination, and the Government needs to ensure that the current crisis doesn’t widen this discrimination and inequality further. We recommend that the Government should prioritise the necessary legislation to extend redundancy protection as soon as possible and provide a timetable for its introduction and implementation.
Government Response Summary
The government commits to extending redundancy protections to women returning from maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave, and from the point of informing an employer of pregnancy, but states this will be introduced through legislation 'as soon as parliamentary time allows' without providing a timetable.
Paragraph Reference:
115
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
Women on Maternity Leave and parents on Adoption Leave and Shared Parental Leave have a statutory right to be treated as a priority in a redundancy situation. This does not mean that they cannot be made redundant, but rather that they must be given first refusal of suitable, alternative vacancies. Last year the Government consulted on proposals to tackle pregnancy and maternity discrimination and has since committed to extend the ‘redundancy protections’ that apply to women on Maternity Leave into the period after they return to work. The same principle will apply to individuals returning from Adoption Leave and Shared Parental Leave. We will also ensure the redundancy protection period applies from the point the employee informs the employer that she is pregnant. We remain committed to extending these protections, through primary and secondary legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows.