The Business Secretary has said he is “sympathetic” to an amendment seeking to extend bereavement entitlement for miscarriages before 24 weeks but could not yet commit to supporting it.
He said there might be a “better mechanism” to take it forward than the Employment Rights Bill, which the Women and Equalities Committee has said it intends to put forward an amendment to.
Since April 2020, employees can be eligible for statutory parental bereavement leave and pay if there is a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy but there is no specific leave for a pre-24 week loss in the form of miscarriage.
The committee, chaired by Luton North MP Sarah Owen, is seeking to make the two-week leave period available to those bereaved as a result of pre-24 week pregnancy loss.
'We'll certainly engage with it.'@edballs asks Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds about whether his department will support the proposed amendment to pass financial and leave support to women and partners who experience a pregnancy loss before 24 weeks. pic.twitter.com/i5jnwJ2K7K
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) January 16, 2025
Jonathan Reynolds told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “I know how important this is. Like a lot of people I’ve had some experience of this myself.
“It’s very, very difficult, and of course, the campaign being put forward there, I’m sympathetic to what they’re trying to achieve.
“I haven’t seen the amendment yet because the report stage hasn’t been scheduled, and then we’ll be able to get that. I’ve got to balance the rights in that Bill against the overall burdens on business.”
The Employment Rights Bill includes a new right to bereavement leave from the first day of a job.
Mr Reynolds said he would work to try to deliver the change on bereavement entitlement for pregnancy loss and engage with the amendment once he sees it.
He suggested the upcoming Equality Bill might be a better way to enact the change.
“There might be a better mechanism to take this forward but I understand the very good motivation on the personal experiences that have driven that campaign.”
The committee said it is estimated that more than one in five pregnancies end before 24 weeks, with between 10% and 20% of pregnancies ending in the first 12 weeks, known as early miscarriage.
While MPs acknowledged that a “growing number of employers have specific pregnancy loss leave and pay policies”, such as NHS trusts and the Co-op, they said there remain “very substantial gaps in provision”.
Labour MP Ms Owen said she was not prepared for the shock of miscarrying when it happened to her and that she legally had to take sick leave.
“The case for a minimum standard in law is overwhelming. A period of paid leave should be available to all women and partners who experience a pre-24-week pregnancy loss. It’s time to include bereavement leave for workers who miscarry in new employment rights laws,” she said.
