Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure the adequacy of employers' shared parental policies.

Shared Parental Leave and Pay gives parents flexibility to choose a caring arrangement that works for them in their child’s first year of life.

Employers may decide to offer more than the statutory entitlement, for instance by enhancing the statutory rate of pay, and we encourage them to do so whenever possible.

However, we recognise that more can be done to support working parents and to support employers understanding and implementation of parental leave entitlements. Last year the government launched the Parental Leave and Pay Review, which is considering all current entitlements. Findings are expected in early 2027.