The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 11th June 2023:
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the joint report by the Centre for Progressive Policy, Pregnant Then Screwed and Women in Data Leave in the lurch: Paternity leave, gender equality and the UK economy, published on 15 June, what plans they have to adopt the recommendation contained in that report to increase statutory paid leave entitlement for fathers.
The Earl of Minto (Con): The Government recently announced changes to make Paternity Leave easier for fathers and partners to take. These changes will provide more choice and flexibility over when the leave can be taken, including allowing it to be split into two separate blocks of one week over a 52-week period.
The standard rate of Statutory Paternity Pay is reviewed annually. From April 2023, it increased by September’s Consumer Price Index figure of 10.1 per cent to £172.48.
There are no further changes currently planned for Paternity Leave and Pay.
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the survey conducted by the group Pregnant Then Screwed in June 2022 which found that shared parental leave was only used by between two and eight per cent of eligible couples, what steps they are taking to encourage more parents to use shared parental leave.
The Earl of Minto: The number of parents taking Shared Parental Pay has increased in line with predications made when the policy was introduced and has doubled between 2015-16 and 2021-22.
- 2015-2016: 6,200
- 2021-2022: 13,000
In June 2021, the Government introduced the Shared Parental Leave tool on gov.uk which supports parents to plan their leave. The tool has received positive feedback from users on both its ability to support the planning of Shared Parental Leave and facilitate conversations between parents and employers.
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of increasing fathers’ entitlement to paid leave on (1) gender inequalities in pay, (2) career progression, (3) employment, (4) the provision of childcare, and (5) the mental health of both parents.
The Earl of Minto: As set out in our Manifesto, the Government is committed to making it easier for fathers and partners to take Paternity Leave.
In 2019 we consulted on high-level options and principles for reforming the parental leave and pay system. The recently published response sets out changes which include enabling fathers to take Paternity Leave in two separate blocks of one week at any time in the first year. Allowing fathers to take time off work towards the end of the mother’s 52 weeks of Maternity Leave could also allow fathers to solo parent whilst supporting mothers to return to work.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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