Extension to Shared Parental Leave and Pay Bill proposed

Draft amendments to the Shared Parental Leave and Pay (Extension) Bill have been published after a proposal to extend the provisions to self-employed workers was put forward under the parliamentary ten-minute rule.

Tracy Brabin, Labour MP for Batley and Spen, made the case for amendments to the Bill in a speech to parliament in February 2018. Following the publication of the provisions, a second reading debate will now take place on 25 January 2019.

Essentially, the extension allows for new parents to take shared leave and pay where the mother is receiving the Maternity Allowance – the maternity benefit given to those not engaged in standard Pay As You Earn employment.

Shared Parental Leave and Pay is currently only available to families where both parents are employed. Couples do not qualify if one or both of them are classed as a ‘worker’ or are self-employed. This proposed amendment aims to address to issue.