Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Statutory Paternity Pay

Monday 12 October 2026 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Department is reviewing the impact of statutory paternity pay rates on household financial resilience.
  • The Government recognizes the importance of fathers supporting mothers and new-born children, especially after difficult births like emergency caesareans.
  • The review of parental leave and pay includes an examination of the status of self-employed parents.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Sarah Russell
Women & Equalities
Context

The MP is concerned about the financial impact of statutory paternity pay on households, particularly in light of reports suggesting it may not provide sufficient support for families.

Question

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the rate of statutory paternity pay on household financial resilience?

Answer from Stephen Timms

Parents should be able, without undue financial pressure, to spend time off work in their child's vital early months. Our review of parental leave and pay, which is due to report early in the new year, is considering how working families can best be supported, including through statutory paternity pay.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The assessment of the potential impact on household financial resilience

How: Under Review

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Q2 Sarah Russell
Women & Equalities
Context

The MP describes a constituent's experience following an emergency caesarean section, highlighting the inadequacy of current statutory paternity leave and pay policies.

Question

My constituent got in touch with me after she had had an emergency caesarean section with twins. It was a traumatic experience. Her husband had to go back to work when she had been out of hospital for only a week. Does the Minister agree that this is not how we should be looking after parents in a civilised society, and that both the mother and the father in that situation would have been better served by longer periods of paid leave?

Answer from Stephen Timms

I am concerned to hear about that experience. The Government recognise the vital role of fathers in supporting mothers and new-born children, particularly after difficult births, such as the one to which my hon. Friend has referred. Our parental leave and pay system is complicated. The review that is under way is looking at how paternity leave and pay and all the current entitlements are supporting working families. Across Government, families' experiences, such as the one that she has brought to the House, are informing our future policy.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister's agreement on the inadequacy of the current policies

How: Under Review

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Q3 Tim Farron Lib Dem Westmorland and Lonsdale
Employment Women & Equalities
Context

The MP points out that a significant portion of the workforce in his constituency is self-employed and raises concerns about the protection of these families under current policies.

Question

Statutory paternity pay and paternity leave are important things for the Government to be looking at, and I support them in what they are seeking to achieve. In the investigation that the Minister is undertaking, will he look carefully at the status of those who are self-employed? One in four people in the workforce in Westmorland and Lonsdale works for themselves, including the 1,600 people who farm. It is so important that those families too are protected, is it not? How will the brief be extended to ensure that those who work for themselves, or indeed for small employers, are protected too?

Answer from Stephen Timms

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right, and I am pleased to be able to confirm to him that self-employed parents are explicitly covered in the terms of reference of the current review.

Answered

Not addressed: null

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