Recommendation 46

HM Government Not Addressed

First Special Report of Session 2024–25 HC 803 Women and Equalities Committee The Women and Equalities Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Government Equalities Office and its associated public bodies. Current membership Sarah Owen (Labour; Luton North) (Chair) Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat; North East Hampshire) David Burton-Sampson (Labour; Southend West and Leigh) Rosie Duffield (Independent; Canterbury) Kirith Entwistle (Labour; Bolton North East) Natalie Fleet (Labour; Bolsover) Catherine Fookes (Labour; Monmouthshire) Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat; Edinburgh West) Samantha Niblett (Labour; South Derbyshire) Shivani Raja (Conservative; Leicester East) Rachel Taylor (Labour; North Warwickshire and Bedworth) Powers The Committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No. 152. These are available on the internet via www.parliament.uk. Publication This Report, was Ordered by the House of Commons, on 19 March 2025, to be printed. It was published on 24 March 2025 by authority of the House of Commons. © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2025. This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament Licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/copyright. Committee reports are published on the Committee’s website at www.parliament.uk/womenandequalities and in print by Order of the House. Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the Women and Equalities Committee, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 4452; the Committee’s email address is womeqcom@parliament.uk. You can follow the Committee on X (formerly Twitter) using @Commonswomequ , and on Bluesky using @commonswomequ.parliament.uk. First Special Report The Women and Equalities Committee published its Second Report of Session 2024–25, Equality at work: Miscarriage and bereavement leave (HC 335) on 15 January 2025. The Government’s response was received on 19 March 2025 and is appended below. Appendix: Government Response Introduction We are grateful to the Women & Equalities Committee (the Committee) for their recent inquiry into the experiences of women and their partners who experience a pre-24-week pregnancy loss. The Government is pleased to have the opportunity to respond to their conclusions and recommendations. The report highlights the impact of pregnancy loss on women and their partners, including their physical and mental health. The Government expects good employers to be compassionate in these circumstances and to respond to their employees’ needs in a sensitive way. Summary of recommendations On 15 January 2025, the Committee published a report following their inquiry into miscarriage and bereavement leave. This inquiry included examining the case for extending the bereavement leave measures in the Employment Rights Bill to also provide for those who suffer pregnancy loss before 24 weeks. The Committee put forward several recommendations to address the impact of miscarriage and bereavement on individuals and families. The central recommendation of the report is to introduce a statutory bereavement leave entitlement for miscarriages and pregnancy losses before 24 weeks of pregnancy. The Committee proposed amendments to the Employment Rights Bill to extend the statutory parental bereavement leave scheme, currently available to parents bereaved by the loss of children up to the age of 18 and stillbirths (from 24 weeks), to employees who experience pre-24-week pregnancy losses. This would entitle employees affected by pre-24-week pregnancy loss to two weeks of leave. Other conclusions in the report were about the current support available and recommending that the Government should work with organisations to promote the benefits of generous and flexible pre-24-week pregnancy loss leave policies and strengthen guidance, so managers and employees are aware of them. We will address the Committee’s recommendations throughout the report below. Existing Legal Framework There are existing entitlements and protections available to those who experience pregnancy loss. Employees may be eligible for statutory parental bereavement leave and pay if they or their partner lose a child from 24 weeks of completed pregnancy (a stillbirth) up to the age of 18, provided they meet certain eligibility criteria. This entitlement provides up to two weeks of paid leave, which can be taken together or separately, within 56 weeks of the child’s death. In a case where a child is stillborn after 24 weeks of pregnancy, employee parents may also be entitled to statutory maternity, paternity and shared parental leave and pay provided they meet certain eligibility criteria. Employees are also entitled to take reasonable time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependent (also known as Time off for