Government backs paid bereavement leave for couples who suffer miscarriages
11 March 2025, 22:18
The Government backed a law that would ensure paid bereavement leave covers miscarriage.
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Business minister Justin Madders said the Government "fully accepts" the principle of bereavement leave for pregnancy loss and will work with MPs and peers to amend the Employment Rights Bill.
His commitment came after Labour MP Sarah Owen, who chairs the Women and Equalities Committee, which recommended changes to the law.
Employees are currently eligible for parental bereavement leave if they or their partner have a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy. There is no specific leave for a pre-24 week loss in the form of miscarriage.
In January, the committee said the two-week leave period should be also made available to those bereaved as a result of pre-24 week pregnancy loss.
The committee said an estimated more than one in five pregnancies end before 24 weeks, with between 10% and 20% of pregnancies ending in the first 12 weeks, known as early miscarriage.
Mr Madders, speaking during the Bill's report stage, said there is a "clear gap in support" for those who experience pregnancy loss and "need time to recover and grieve".
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He said: "We fully accept the principle of bereavement leave for pregnancy loss, as raised in the amendments, and we look forward to further discussions with (Ms Owen) and (peers) as the Bill moves on to its next stages in the Lords.
"Bereavement is not an illness, it's not a holiday and it does need its own special category."
Elsewhere in the debate, Labour MP Stella Creasy (Walthamstow) led calls for paternity leave to be increased.
Her new clause seven was supported by more than 50 Labour backbenchers, which posed a problem for the whips, although it was not pushed to a vote after Mr Madders sought to offer assurances on the Government's approach. Ms Creasy's amendment would have required the Government to consult on the period of protected paternity or parental partner leave, amid calls for it to go beyond the two-week entitlement.
he said: "We need to end the battle of the sexes when it comes to childcare."
The Bill, as it stands, would establish the right to paternity and parental leave for a worker from day one.
As a whole, it aims to deliver the biggest overhaul of workers' rights in a generation, although it is feared some of the changes could cost businesses almost £5 billion annually.
Policies such as day-one protections from unfair dismissals and ensuring guaranteed hours on zero-hours contracts are "likely to have a disproportionate cost to small and micro businesses", according to an economic analysis of the Bill published by the Department for Business and Trade.
Shadow business minister Greg Smith said the Government should have taken more time to develop its proposals given it was still bringing forward several pages of amendments.
He said: "Fundamentally, this is a bad Bill. Whilst it contains many good measures, many well intentioned measures, they have failed to get the balance right between employees and employers."
A Liberal Democrat amendment to make carer's leave a paid entitlement was rejected by 323 votes to 95, majority 228.
A proposal from Conservative MP Sir Ashley Fox (Bridgwater) to give special constables the right to time off to carry out their police duties was also defeated by 324 votes to 189, majority 135.
MPs will consider further amendments to the Bill on Wednesday.
