Draft Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay (Consequential Amendments to Subordinate Legislation) Regulations 2020

Helen Hayes Excerpts

Monday 23rd March 2020 General Committees

[Helen Hayes (Dulwich and West Norwood) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir David. I rise on behalf of the Opposition to support the regulations. Earlier this month, Opposition Members supported the Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay (General) Regulations 2020 and the Parental Bereavement Leave Regulations 2020, following Royal Assent for the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018, otherwise known as Jack’s law in memory of Jack Herd. Jack’s mother, Lucy, campaigned tirelessly to bring us to this point. I pay tribute to her for all her work.

We note that a number of consequential changes to other pieces of legislation are now required to ensure that parents have complete support at such a difficult time in their lives. The regulations seek to achieve that by making changes to a range of employment and social security legislation to bring it in line with measures for other forms of statutory recognised absences. The changes seek to protect a parent’s position, income and pension while they take bereavement leave, in much the same way as other forms of family-related leave and pay are handled in law. No parent should be financially worse off or lose out on future benefits as a result of taking statutory parental bereavement leave, whether in work or supported by the social security system through measures such as working taxcredits, or in terms of future pension entitlements.

I am sure that all Members welcome the introduction of these measures. I thank Members from all parties who advanced the need to establish bereavement leave and pay. The measures are due to come into force on 6 April 2020, which will be with the full support of Opposition Members.