Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Redundancy Protection: Women and New Parents

28 April 2021 · 1 other contributor · 4,173 words

Opened by Kirsten Oswald SNP East Renfrewshire

Responding minister: Paul Scully

EmploymentWomen & Equalities

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Kirsten Oswald raised concerns about redundancy protection: women and new parents in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Ms Oswald is concerned about the lack of progress in extending redundancy protection for women and new parents due to employment law being reserved to Westminster.
  • Ms Oswald highlighted that one in 20 new mothers are made redundant during pregnancy or maternity leave, or on their return to work.
  • Ms Oswald asks the Government to urgently implement legislation to extend redundancy protection throughout pregnancy and maternity leave, and for six months afterwards.

Key requests to Government

Ms. Oswald asks the Government to urgently implement legislation to extend redundancy protection throughout pregnancy and maternity leave, and for six months afterwards, similar to the ten-minute rule Bill introduced by the right hon. Member for Basingstoke. She also seeks the Government's plans to protect women and new parents in their employment during and post-pandemic.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Kirsten Oswald SNP East Renfrewshire

Ms. Oswald is concerned about the lack of progress in extending redundancy protection for women and new parents due to employment law being reserved to Westminster. She highlighted that one in 20 new mothers are made redundant during pregnancy or maternity leave, or on their return to work, which demonstrates a disturbing level of disregard among employers for the needs of women and families. She also mentioned cases like Jessica's and Mandy's as examples of unfair treatment due to pregnancy.

Other contributors (1)
  • Jim Shannon DUP Strangford

    Three in four mothers, or 77%, reported having a negative or possibly discriminatory experience during pregnancy, maternity leave and return from maternity leave. The speaker urged the Minister to address wider issues such as shared parental leave and the stigma associated with fathers taking this leave.

Government Response

Paul Scully

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dame Angela. I congratulate the hon. Member for East Renfrewshire on securing today's important debate on extending redundancy protections for women and new parents. There can be no excuse for discrimination against pregnant women or women on maternity leave; it is unlawful and cannot be tolerated as we rebuild after the pandemic. Research funded by the Government and EHRC highlights that one in nine mothers report dismissal, compulsory redundancy or poor treatment leading to job loss, which could affect 54,000 mothers a year if scaled up nationally. One in five mothers also experience harassment or negative comments related to pregnancy or flexible working from employers or colleagues, potentially impacting 100,000 women annually. The Government will ensure the redundancy protection period applies from when an employee informs their employer of her pregnancy and extend this for six months after a new mother returns to work. They plan to introduce these measures as soon as parliamentary time allows. While there is support for state enforcement in redundancies involving pregnant women or new mothers, caution must be exercised due to the complexity of employment disputes. The Government's preferred approach retains and extends preferential treatment for pregnant women and new parents, providing a period up to 27 months when they are first in line for suitable remaining jobs during redundancy situations. Addressing discrimination at earlier stages of employment is crucial; hence, an employer and family representative group will be set up to develop recommendations on improving information availability and shifting the focus from end-of-process issues to proactive measures.

Get updates like this by email
▸ Assessment & feedback
Summary accuracy