Source · Select Committees · Petitions Committee
First Report: The impact of Covid-19 on maternity and parental leave
Petitions Committee
HC 526
Published 6 July 2020
Recommendations
1
Not Addressed
Para 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 …
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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.
2
Rejected
Para 17
As a matter of urgency the Government should consider whether Maternity Allowance should be considered...
Recommendation
As a matter of urgency the Government should consider whether Maternity Allowance should be considered as earnings in the same way as Statutory Maternity Pay and should not lead to deductions from Universal Credit.
Government Response Summary
The government rejects changing the treatment of Maternity Allowance within Universal Credit, explaining it is considered unearned income and thus deducted pound-for-pound, unlike Statutory Maternity Pay which is treated as earnings.
3
Rejected
Parental leave and pay are not unique in having different provisions for employed and self-employed...
Recommendation
Parental leave and pay are not unique in having different provisions for employed and self-employed people, and this is just one area of a complex benefit system. It is however apparent that many of the inequalities are not a reflection …
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Government Response Summary
The government implicitly rejects equalising benefits for self-employed adoptive parents, explaining existing different provisions and discretionary local authority payments. For special guardians, it defers action, stating it has consulted on parental leave reforms and will respond in due course.
5
Accepted
Para 27
For those new parents on maternity leave for whom furlough was already possible, the Government...
Recommendation
For those new parents on maternity leave for whom furlough was already possible, the Government failed to make it clear either to them or their employers that it was an option. The Government should publish clear new guidance for employees …
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Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the need for clear information, but states that GOV.UK already contains a wealth of rigorously user-tested guidance, including specific pages on maternity leave and the CJRS, and ruled out a single 'one-stop shop'.
6
Accepted in Part
Para 33
The Government’s work to ensure premises are safe for workers during the pandemic is welcome.
Recommendation
The Government’s work to ensure premises are safe for workers during the pandemic is welcome. As an at-risk group, there is more that can be done to ensure that employers are aware of their responsibilities for the safety of pregnant …
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Government Response Summary
The government states that clear guidance for employers on their obligations to pregnant women, including the right to suspension on full pay if they cannot work safely, has been published by the HSE. However, it does not commit to extending the furlough scheme to all pregnant women, stating that current approaches are considered proportionate.
7
Rejected
Para 35
In addition to the immediate financial consequences for pregnant women of being put on Statutory...
Recommendation
In addition to the immediate financial consequences for pregnant women of being put on Statutory Sick Pay or unpaid leave—often when they should have been suspended on full pay—in many cases the loss of income that results can also mean …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation to amend Statutory Maternity Pay calculations to disregard lower income periods from Statutory Sick Pay or unpaid leave, stating that while adjustments were made for furlough, SSP is not a new situation and there are no plans to change its treatment in SMP calculations.
8
Accepted in Part
Para 37
The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme uses three years of tax returns to assess the average...
Recommendation
The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme uses three years of tax returns to assess the average income of claimants. Claimants who have undertaken periods of parental leave in these years, will not receive support at a level representative of their usual …
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Government Response Summary
The government has amended the SEISS scheme to make previously ineligible self-employed parents, whose 2018/19 tax returns were affected by new childcare, eligible for the scheme. However, it clarifies that the grant calculation for those already eligible is unaffected.
9
Rejected
Para 40
The Government’s decision to reject the request to extend maternity leave has been hugely disappointing...
Recommendation
The Government’s decision to reject the request to extend maternity leave has been hugely disappointing to the hundreds of thousands of people who have signed this petition. In these extraordinary circumstances, where the Government has taken exceptional action to support …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation to extend parental leave and pay, citing the significant cost to the Exchequer and the additional burden on businesses at a challenging time.
10
Deferred
Para 50
It is difficult to see how health visitors will be able to ‘catch-up’ with their...
Recommendation
It is difficult to see how health visitors will be able to ‘catch-up’ with their important contact visits to provide the much-needed support for new parents and to help identify those who are vulnerable and most in need. This risks …
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Government Response Summary
The government states that the allocation of health visitor resources is a matter for local authorities and has provided additional funding to local authorities to address Covid-19 pressures, but does not commit to a government review of provision or increased central funding for health visitors.
11
Accepted
Para 56
While baby classes may not be directly vital to baby development, they provide important support...
Recommendation
While baby classes may not be directly vital to baby development, they provide important support to new parents, which will benefit the care they can provide. From our discussions with the sector and with the Minister, there has not been …
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Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the important role of parent and baby groups and commits to hosting a meeting with the sector to better understand how they can be supported.
12
Not Addressed
Para 57
New parents have missed out on vital support from professionals such as health visitors to...
Recommendation
New parents have missed out on vital support from professionals such as health visitors to baby classes and groups. We’ve heard how important this support is for parental mental health and for helping to lay the foundation for parenting, family …
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Government Response Summary
The government states community health services continued support during the pandemic and that health visitor resources are a matter for local authorities. It mentions general funding for local authorities and charities but does not commit to additional catch-up support specifically targeted at new parents.
13
Rejected
Free dental care is an important benefit that most pregnant and new mothers have been...
Recommendation
Free dental care is an important benefit that most pregnant and new mothers have been unable to access as the result of the pandemic. The Government should extend maternity dentist provision for new and expectant mothers affected by the pandemic …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects extending free maternity dental provision for new and expectant mothers, stating it has no plans to extend existing charge exemptions at this time, while noting routine dentistry has restarted.
14
Accepted
Para 72
Covid-19 has had a significant impact on the mental health of the whole nation.
Recommendation
Covid-19 has had a significant impact on the mental health of the whole nation. New and expectant parents have especially been put under tremendous strain during what is already an incredibly challenging time in their lives. It is extremely likely …
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Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the issue and highlights existing guidance, open services, and ongoing commitments to expand perinatal mental health services by 2023/24, without committing to additional targeted support specifically for new parents affected by COVID-19.
15
Rejected
Para 80
Adoptive parents and their children have faced uniquely challenging situations without the access to the...
Recommendation
Adoptive parents and their children have faced uniquely challenging situations without the access to the professional and informal support that they need. These children are among the most vulnerable in society. In the most serious situations, we’ve heard that the …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejected the recommendation to extend adoption leave and pay, stating that existing entitlements of 52 weeks leave and 39 weeks pay, along with other flexible working options, are already generous and sufficient for new parents.
16
Rejected
Para 81
The Government’s response to this inquiry so far has not addressed the immediate situation faced...
Recommendation
The Government’s response to this inquiry so far has not addressed the immediate situation faced by self-employed adoptive parents as a result of Covid-19. A future review, although welcome, may not come in time for this cohort of parents and …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation to equalise benefits for self-employed adoptive parents, explaining that maternity entitlements have health and safety considerations for birth mothers that do not apply to adopters. It notes that local authorities can already consider discretionary, means-tested payments.
17
Deferred
Para 85
Special guardians need time and support to help their often highly vulnerable children to settle...
Recommendation
Special guardians need time and support to help their often highly vulnerable children to settle into their new kinship families in the same way that adoptive and other parents do. They should not be treated any differently to any other …
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Government Response Summary
The government states it has consulted on reforming the parental leave and pay system and will respond in due course, deferring a decision on extending entitlements to special guardians.
18
Rejected
Para 92
We welcome the Government’s recognition that special neonatal leave and pay should be introduced for...
Recommendation
We welcome the Government’s recognition that special neonatal leave and pay should be introduced for all parents who find themselves in this situation. The Government plans to include provisions in its forthcoming Employment Bill to introduce this reform in 2023. …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects piloting neonatal leave and pay for those affected by Covid-19, explaining that such a pilot would still require complex legislation and IT systems and would not be delivered any sooner than the planned full entitlement in 2023.
19
Not Addressed
We welcome the Government’s introduction of testing for members of the public.
Recommendation
We welcome the Government’s introduction of testing for members of the public. However, priority testing should be made available for parents of babies in neonatal care. No parent should be separated unnecessarily from their newborn for any longer that they …
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Government Response Summary
The government states that asymptomatic testing is conducted where clinically appropriate and that decisions on COVID-19 testing are made by individual NHS Trusts based on their own risk assessments, without committing to prioritising rapid testing for parents of babies in neonatal care.
20
Accepted in Part
Para 108
We have heard about systemic problems in the funding of childcare before the pandemic.
Recommendation
We have heard about systemic problems in the funding of childcare before the pandemic. Just before the outbreak, we debated a petition which expressed concerns about how many parents struggled to afford childcare. Covid-19 has put a huge strain on …
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Government Response Summary
The government addresses the short-term funding aspect by highlighting ongoing work, existing support schemes (CJRS, SEISS), continued funding for free childcare hours, and a commitment to fund local authorities at pre-pandemic levels for the autumn term. However, the response does not address the recommendation for an independent long-term review of childcare provision.
21
Accepted in Part
Para 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 …
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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.
22
Deferred
We recognise the concerns of Maternity Action that pregnant women and new mothers, who are...
Recommendation
We recognise the concerns of Maternity Action that pregnant women and new mothers, who are at significant risk of discrimination and dismissal, may struggle to prepare and submit legal challenges within the 3-month time limit, at what is already an …
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Government Response Summary
The government has deferred action on extending the employment tribunal claim period for pregnant women and new parents, stating the issue is being considered by the Government Equalities Office following a consultation, and a response will be published in due course.
Conclusions (1)
4
Conclusion
Not Addressed
Para 26
The Government has suggested that women can be furloughed as a means of extending their maternity leave and delaying their return to work. However, access to the scheme is reliant on employers’ consent, rather than parents having a right to it, and there are strict limitations to whom it can …
Government Response Summary
The government explained the purpose and temporary nature of the CJRS, confirming that employers are not obliged to use the scheme, and reiterated existing health and safety requirements for pregnant employees, without directly addressing the committee's concerns about fairness and realism for many new parents.