Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to parental leave entitlements on small and medium-sized enterprises, as part of the ongoing review.

The Parental Leave and Pay Review launched on 1 July fulfilling our manifesto commitment. It will explore how the system can better support working families while still balancing the needs of businesses.

As part of this, the review will consider opportunities to make the process surrounding parental leave simpler for both businesses and parents.

The Department has not made an assessment at this stage of any impacts. We will be engaging with groups representing small and medium businesses throughout the review. Any reforms proposed following the conclusion of the review will consider the impact on small and medium-sized enterprises.