Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment the Government has made of the adequacy of the length of maternity and paternity leave of parents who have multiple births.

The UK’s maternity leave arrangements are among the most generous in the world. All employed mothers are entitled to up to 52 weeks of maternity leave and most are entitled to 39 weeks of statutory pay - nearly three times the minimum required by the EU. This provides mothers with sufficient leave to cope with unexpected eventualities including ill health and complications associated with multiple births.

Employers must also allow their pregnant employees paid time off work for all antenatal care. A pregnant woman expecting a multiple birth will therefore be entitled to sufficient time off work to attend additional antenatal appointments as required.

Paternity Leave provisions give the father/partner some flexibility in when to take up to two weeks of leave, subject to eligibility. Fathers/partners also have other employment rights which can support them in adjusting to challenging circumstances such as multiple births. These include the right to emergency leave (time off for dependents), the right to Parental Leave (which extends to all employed parents) and a right to time off work to attend up to two antenatal appointments.