'Time for better paternity leave and pay for new dads': Telford MP sets tone in Westminster debate

Shaun Davies, the MP for Telford, secured a Westminster Hall debate on the topic this week where other parliamentarians responded positively to his call.

Mr Davies, a dad himself, said: "My own brother was born three months premature and my father’s ability to be there was curtailed by the fact that the paternity leave then was simply not generous enough.

"The Employment Rights Bill, which I welcome, goes some way towards addressing the eligibility problem, but there is more that we can do."

He called for longer periods of paternity leave which also needs to be better paid.

"It needs to be “use it or lose it” leave—in other words, non-transferrable—to encourage take-up."

He said that fathers, if they are eligible can take a maximum of two weeks’ paid leave, at a maximum rate of £184 a week, which is less than half the national living wage.

"As a father myself, I do have a vested interest in this issue, but better paternity rights are not just good for fathers; they are good for mums and, more importantly, for children.

"I want to live in a society in which children can see both parents as caregivers, but for that to happen, it needs to be possible for both parents to be present during the vital early years."

Junior business and trade minister Justin Madders MP, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade said: "The Government are committed to ensuring that employed parents receive the best possible support for their work and home lives.

"Our plan to make work pay will ensure that there is more flexibility and security for working families.

"Workers must be supported to work, while balancing the essential ingredients of their wider family life, whether that is raising children, improving their own wellbeing or looking after a loved one with a long-term health condition."

He added: "The Employment Rights Bill will make paternity leave a day one right.

"Currently, parents are eligible for leave only if they have been employed in their job for 26 weeks, by 15 weeks before the baby is due.

"We will remove the requirement for a continuity of service condition for paternity leave. That will allow eligible employees to give notice of their intention to take that entitlement, from day one in the job.

"It will make paternity leave accessible to all employees, including those who may have low job security and low continuity of service, not only those who are able to reach the current set qualifying periods.

"We believe this measure will bring tens of thousands more parents into scope for the entitlement, meaning that many more families will benefit from protected time off."

The meeting, held at Westminster Hall on Wednesday resolved that they had considered paternity leave and pay.

Westminster Hall debates do not bind the Government to action but they are used by MPs to bring attention to issues of importance to them.