Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to introduce a paternity allowance for self-employed fathers.

My Department have no plans to introduce paternity allowance for self-employed fathers.

Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and Maternity Allowance (MA) are paid to women to replace earnings to help them take time off work before and after their baby is born, in the interests of their health and wellbeing.

Statutory family related leave entitlements focus on employees as they have less flexibility and autonomy over the work they do and when they take time off work.

The Government agrees with the principle of equalising parental benefits for the employed and self-employed. But as set out in the Government Response to the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices, it is right to only consider making changes to this area once we have carefully considered this in the wider context of tax, benefits and rights over the longer term.