22 MPs co-signed a letter calling for better paternity provisions for their parliamentary staff (Alamy)
3 min read
MPs’ staff will be entitled to a maximum of four weeks’ paternity leave – double the statutory level – after MPs appealed to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.
Under IPSA’s current policy, parliamentary staff are entitled to the statutory level of two weeks’ paid paternity leave following the birth or adoption of a child, taken in a single block. Any additional time must be covered using unpaid or annual leave.
PoliticsHome understands that IPSA will officially change these provisions to a maximum of four weeks next month and that the new provisions will be backdated to the start of this financial year in April.
PoliticsHome exclusively reported that a group of 22 new Labour MPs wrote to the Leader of the House of Commons and IPSA to call for improved paternity leave for their parliamentary staff.
The MPs argued that staff working for MPs should be entitled to the same generous paternity leave as their employers, describing their staff’s current paternity provisions as “unfair”. They said current rules mean they are “unable to support our staff appropriately at some of the most important times of their lives”.
Responding to the MPs, IPSA chair Richard Lloyd wrote: “In line with IPSA’s ongoing work to improve the working lives of MPs’ staff, we have been developing proposals that go beyond the legislative requirements.”
He outlined the upcoming change in paternity leave provision to a maximum of four weeks, but said it still needed to be “operationalised”.
Lloyd added that IPSA was “continually looking at ways to support a family-friendly Parliament and to ensure that MPs can offer appropriate entitlements to those in their employment”, and said he would be happy to meet the MPs who signed the letter.
George Gabriel, co-founder of the Dad Shift campaign said, “IPSA doubling the paternity leave given to parliamentary staff is fantastic news for those dads, non-birthing parents and their families.
“Fair shout to the MPs driving forward the campaign and making sure their teams get properly looked after.
“Now it’s time to make sure other employers across the country can also do right by their dads. Labour’s review of parental leave is the chance we need to improve the UK’s measly statutory paternity leave offer – to the benefit of dads, mums, babies and business too.”
The Employment Rights Bill, which is currently in the process of passing through Parliament, contains a proposal to remove the qualifying period for paternity leave, meaning that fathers would be entitled to paternity leave and pay from the first day of their employment, rather than having to work for 26 weeks before becoming eligible.
In their letter, IPSA confirmed they would amend their online guidance regarding paternity provisions “immediately” should this change come into law.
