Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress the Government has made since December 2019 on making it easier for fathers to take statutory paternity leave.
Information provided by employers to HMRC show the number of individuals in receipt of Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP). This data provides a broad indication of take-up but does not include anyone taking unpaid paternity leave.
Table 1: Individuals in receipt of Statutory Paternity Pay, 2015/16 to 2021/22 (the latest year for which full year data is available)
Year (April to March) | No. of individuals in receipt of SPP |
2015-16 | 215,100 |
2016-17 | 219,900 |
2017-18 | 212,700 |
2018-19 | 201,800 |
2019-20 | 208,000 |
2020-21 | 176,400 |
2021-22 | 204,200 |
In 2019, the Government consulted on high-level options for reforming the parental leave and pay system, including making changes to Paternity Leave. We are currently considering responses to the consultation and will respond in due course.