Petition Introduce neonatal leave and pay entitlement immediately

On Wednesday 9 February, Luke Hall MP led an adjournment debate in Parliament on neonatal leave and pay.

Watch the debate, read the transcript and access other relevant material:
https://ukparliament.shorthandstories.com/neonatal-leave-pay/index.html?utm_campaign=0222-cet-neonatalleavepay-petitioners&utm_medium=email&utm_source=petcom

What are adjournment debates? 

Any backbench MP can apply to hold an adjournment debate on any subject which the Government are responsible for, providing it does not call for legislation. MPs from all parties can take part, and a Government minister must respond in the debate.

Adjournment debates take place at the end of each sitting day in the House of Commons Chamber and usually last for 30 minutes.

They are held on the motion ‘that the House do now adjourn’. In other words, once the adjournment debate has finished, the House will close for the day.

Get involved in the work of the UK Parliament

Sign up to the UK Parliament newsletter for the latest information on how to get involved and make a difference: https://learning.parliament.uk/en/your-uk-parliament-newsletter-sign-up-form/

The Petitions Committee has written to Kwasi Kwarteng MP, Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, to ask for an update on the Government’s plans to enhance new parents’ employment rights.

Read the Committee's letter: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/22398/documents/165348/default/

The letter, from the Chair of the Committee Catherine McKinnell MP, asks the Government to clarify its plans to introduce entitlements to leave and pay for parents of babies receiving neonatal care, and to extend statutory redundancy protections for new and expectant mothers into the period after they return to work.

Once the Committee has received the Government's reply, it will be available to view on the Committee's website: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/publications/3/correspondence/

Get involved in the work of the UK Parliament

Sign up to the Your UK Parliament newsletter for the latest information on how to get involved and make a difference: https://parliament.us16.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=3ad7e4c57a864f07e4db008c4&id=26d0645ea9

On Friday 15 July, MPs debated the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Bill in the main House of Commons chamber. This was a Second Reading debate, where MPs debate the general principles of a Bill (a proposed new set of laws).

• Watch the debate
• Read a transcript of the debate

If the Bill is passed by Parliament, it will introduce new rights to neonatal care leave and statutory neonatal care pay, for employees whose children who spend at least a week in neonatal care after they are born.

The Bill is a Private Member's Bill, and was introduced by Stuart McDonald MP. Responding for the Government, the Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Labour Markets, Jane Hunt MP, confirmed that the Government will support the Bill.

Read more about the measures proposed in the Bill in this House of Commons Library Research Briefing.

What happens next?

Having passed Second Reading, the Bill will now be sent to a Public Bill Committee, where a committee of MPs will scrutinise the Bill line by line. The dates for when a committee will consider the Bill are yet to be confirmed.

Find out more about how committee stage works, and what happens after committee stage.

You can keep up to date with progress of this Bill on the Bill's webpage.

What is a Private Member's Bill?

Private Members' Bills are Bills introduced by MPs who are not government ministers. They can be about any topic, but the main purpose can’t be to create a new tax or increase Government spending. Private Members' Bills must go through the same stages of consideration by Parliament before they can become law.

• Find out more about Private Members' Bills

Get involved in the work of the UK Parliament

Sign up to the UK Parliament newsletter for the latest information on how to get involved and make a difference.

On 20 January, MPs agreed to approve new statutory leave and pay entitlements for parents who have children receiving neonatal care.

• Watch the debate
• Read a transcript of the debate

The Bill is a Private Member's Bill, and was introduced by Stuart C McDonald MP.

Read more about the measures proposed in the Bill in this House of Commons Library Research Briefing.

What happens next?

The Bill has now completed its stages in the House of Commons, and now goes to the House of Lords. The Bill must be approved by both Houses before it can become law. If the Bill is passed by Parliament, it will introduce two new rights: neonatal care leave and statutory neonatal care pay.

• Find out more about the Lords stages of a Bill.

You can keep up to date with progress of this Bill on the Bill's webpage.

What is a Private Member's Bill?

Private Members' Bills are Bills introduced by MPs who are not government ministers. They can be about any topic, but the main purpose can’t be to create a new tax or increase Government spending. Private Members' Bills must go through the same stages of consideration by Parliament before they can become law.

• Find out more about Private Members' Bills

Get involved in the work of the UK Parliament

Sign up to the UK Parliament newsletter for the latest information on how to get involved and make a difference.