Children and Families Act 2014

117 Shared parental leave E+W

(1) In Part 8 of the Employment Rights Act 1996, after section 75D there is inserted—

“CHAPTER 1B E+W Shared parental leave

75E Entitlement to shared parental leave: birth

(1) The Secretary of State may make regulations entitling an employee who satisfies specified conditions—

(a) as to duration of employment,

(b) as to being, or expecting to be, the mother of a child,

(c) as to caring or intending to care, with another person (“P”), for the child,

(d) as to entitlement to maternity leave,

(e) as to the exercise of that entitlement and the extent of any such exercise,

(f) as to giving notice of an intention to exercise an entitlement to leave under this subsection, and

(g) as to the consent of P to the amount of leave under this subsection that the employee intends to take,

to be absent from work on leave under this subsection for the purpose of caring for the child.

(2) Regulations under subsection (1) may provide that the employee's entitlement is subject to the satisfaction by P of specified conditions—

(a) as to employment or self-employment,

(b) as to having earnings of a specified amount for a specified period,

(c) as to caring or intending to care, with the employee, for the child, and

(d) as to relationship with the child or the employee.

(3) Provision under subsection (1)(f) may require the employee to give notice to the employer about—

(a) the amount of leave to which the employee would be entitled if the entitlement were fully exercised (disregarding for these purposes any intention of P to exercise an entitlement to leave under subsection (4) or to statutory shared parental pay);

(b) how much of the entitlement to leave the employee intends to exercise;

(c) the extent to which P intends to exercise an entitlement to leave under subsection (4) or to statutory shared parental pay.

(4) The Secretary of State may make regulations entitling an employee who satisfies specified conditions—

(a) as to duration of employment,

(b) as to relationship with a child or expected child or with the child's mother,

(c) as to caring or intending to care, with the child's mother, for the child,

(d) as to giving notice of an intention to exercise an entitlement to leave under this subsection, and

(e) as to the consent of the child's mother to the amount of leave under this subsection that the employee intends to take,

to be absent from work on leave under this subsection for the purpose of caring for the child.

(5) Regulations under subsection (4) may provide that the employee's entitlement is subject to the satisfaction by the child's mother of specified conditions—

(a) as to employment or self-employment,

(b) as to having earnings of a specified amount for a specified period,

(c) as to caring or intending to care, with the employee, for the child,

(d) as to entitlement (or lack of entitlement) to maternity leave, statutory maternity pay or maternity allowance, and

(e) as to the exercise of any such entitlement and the extent of any such exercise.

(6) Provision under subsection (4)(d) may require the employee to give notice to the employer about—

(a) the amount of leave to which the employee would be entitled if the entitlement were fully exercised (disregarding for these purposes any intention of the child's mother to exercise an entitlement to leave under subsection (1) or to statutory shared parental pay);

(b) how much of the entitlement to leave the employee intends to exercise;

(c) the extent to which the child's mother intends to exercise an entitlement to leave under subsection (1) or to statutory shared parental pay.

75F Entitlement to leave under section 75E: further provision

(1) Regulations under section 75E are to include provision for determining—

(a) the amount of leave under section 75E(1) or (4) to which an employee is entitled in respect of a child;

(b) when leave under section 75E(1) or (4) may be taken.

(2) Provision under subsection (1)(a) is to secure that the amount of leave to which an employee is entitled in respect of a child does not exceed—

(a) in a case where the child's mother became entitled to maternity leave, the relevant amount of time reduced by—

(i) where her maternity leave ends without her ordinary or additional maternity leave period having been curtailed by virtue of section 71(3)(ba) or 73(3)(a), the amount of maternity leave taken by the child's mother, or

(ii) except where sub-paragraph (i) applies, the amount of time between the beginning of her maternity leave and the time when her ordinary or additional maternity leave period, as curtailed by virtue of section 71(3)(ba) or 73(3)(a), comes to an end;

(b) in a case where the child's mother became entitled to statutory maternity pay or maternity allowance but not maternity leave, the relevant amount of time reduced by an amount determined in accordance with paragraph (a) or, as the case may be, paragraph (b) of section 171ZU(6) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992.

(3) In subsection (2) “the relevant amount of time” means an amount of time specified in or determined in accordance with regulations under section 75E.

(4) Provision under subsection (1)(a) is to secure that the amount of leave that an employee is entitled to take in respect of a child takes into account—

(a) in a case where another person is entitled to leave under section 75E in respect of the child, the amount of such leave taken by the other person;

(b) in a case where another person is entitled to statutory shared parental pay in respect of the child but not leave under section 75E, the number of weeks in respect of which such pay is payable to the other person.

(5) In reckoning for the purposes of subsection (2) the amount of maternity leave taken, a part of a week is to be treated as a full week.

(6) In reckoning for the purposes of subsection (4) the amount of leave under section 75E taken during a period of such leave, a part of a week is to be treated as a full week.

(7) Provision under subsection (1)(b) is to secure that leave under section 75E must be taken before the end of such period as may be specified by the regulations.

(8) Regulations under section 75E are to provide for the taking of leave under section 75E in a single period or in non-consecutive periods.

(9) Regulations under section 75E may—

(a) provide for an employer, subject to such restrictions as may be specified, to require an employee who proposes to take non-consecutive periods of leave under section 75E to take that amount of leave as a single period of leave;

(b) provide for a single period of leave that is so imposed on an employee to start with a day proposed by the employee or, if no day is proposed, with the first day of the first period of leave proposed by the employee.

(10) Regulations under section 75E may provide for the variation, subject to such restrictions as may be specified, of—

(a) the period or periods during which an amount of leave under section 75E may be taken;

(b) the amount of leave under section 75E that the employee previously specified in accordance with provision under section 75E(3)(b) or (6)(b) or subsection (13)(b) of this section.

(11) Provision under subsection (10)(a) may provide for variation to be subject to the consent of an employer in circumstances specified by the regulations.

(12) Provision under subsection (10)(b) may require an employee to satisfy specified conditions—

(a) as to giving notice of an intention to vary the amount of leave under section 75E to be taken by the employee;

(b) if the employee proposes to vary the amount of leave under section 75E(1) to be taken by the employee, as to the consent of P to that variation;

(c) if the employee proposes to vary the amount of leave under section 75E(4) to be taken by the employee, as to the consent of the child's mother to that variation.

(13) Provision under subsection (12)(a) may require an employee to give notice to the employer about—

(a) the extent to which the employee has exercised an entitlement to leave under section 75E(1) or (4) in respect of the child;

(b) how much of the entitlement to leave the employee intends to exercise;

(c) the extent to which a person other than the employee has exercised an entitlement to leave under section 75E or to statutory shared parental pay in respect of the child;

(d) the extent to which a person other than the employee intends to exercise such an entitlement.

(14) Regulations under section 75E may—

(a) specify things which are, or are not, to be taken as done for the purpose of caring for a child;

(b) make provision excluding the right to be absent on leave under section 75E in respect of a child where more than one child is born as a result of the same pregnancy;

(c) specify a minimum amount of leave under section 75E which may be taken;

(d) make provision about how leave under section 75E may be taken;

(e) specify circumstances in which an employee may work for the employer during a period of leave under section 75E without bringing the particular period of leave, or the employee's entitlement to leave under section 75E, to an end;

(f) specify circumstances in which an employee may be absent on leave under section 75E otherwise than for the purpose of caring for a child without bringing the person's entitlement to leave under section 75E to an end.

(15) In this section “week” means any period of seven days.

(16) The Secretary of State may by regulations provide that the following do not have effect, or have effect with modifications specified by the regulations, in a case where the mother of a child dies before another person has become entitled to leave under section 75E in respect of the child—

(a) section 75E(4)(b), (c) and (e);

(b) section 75E(5);

(c) section 75E(6)(c);

(d) subsection (12)(c);

(e) subsection (13)(c) and (d).

75G Entitlement to shared parental leave: adoption

(1) The Secretary of State may make regulations entitling an employee who satisfies specified conditions—

(a) as to duration of employment,

(b) as to being a person with whom a child is, or is expected to be, placed for adoption under the law of any part of the United Kingdom,

(c) as to caring or intending to care, with another person (“P”), for the child,

(d) as to entitlement to adoption leave,

(e) as to the exercise of that entitlement and the extent of any such exercise,

(f) as to giving notice of an intention to exercise an entitlement to leave under this subsection, and

(g) as to the consent of P to the amount of leave under this subsection that the employee intends to take,

to be absent from work on leave under this subsection for the purpose of caring for the child.

(2) Regulations under subsection (1) may provide that the employee's entitlement is subject to the satisfaction by P of specified conditions—

(a) as to employment or self-employment,

(b) as to having earnings of a specified amount for a specified period,

(c) as to caring or intending to care, with the employee, for the child, and

(d) as to relationship with the child or the employee.

(3) Provision under subsection (1)(f) may require the employee to give notice to the employer about—

(a) the amount of leave to which the employee would be entitled if the entitlement were fully exercised (disregarding for these purposes any intention of P to exercise an entitlement to leave under subsection (4) or to statutory shared parental pay);

(b) how much of the entitlement to leave the employee intends to exercise;

(c) the extent to which P intends to exercise an entitlement to leave under subsection (4) or to statutory shared parental pay.

(4) The Secretary of State may make regulations entitling an employee who satisfies specified conditions—

(a) as to duration of employment,

(b) as to relationship with a child placed, or expected to be placed, for adoption under the law of any part of the United Kingdom or with a person (“A”) with whom the child is, or is expected to be, so placed,

(c) as to caring or intending to care, with A, for the child,

(d) as to giving notice of an intention to exercise an entitlement to leave under this subsection, and

(e) as to the consent of A to the amount of leave under this subsection that the employee intends to take,

to be absent from work on leave under this subsection for the purpose of caring for the child.

(5) Regulations under subsection (4) may provide that the employee's entitlement is subject to the satisfaction by A of specified conditions—

(a) as to employment or self-employment,

(b) as to having earnings of a specified amount for a specified period,

(c) as to caring or intending to care, with the employee, for the child,

(d) as to entitlement (or lack of entitlement) to adoption leave or statutory adoption pay, and

(e) as to the exercise of any such entitlement and the extent of any such exercise.

(6) Provision under subsection (4)(d) may require the employee to give notice to the employer about—

(a) the amount of leave to which the employee would be entitled if the entitlement were fully exercised (disregarding for these purposes any intention of A to exercise an entitlement to leave under subsection (1) or to statutory shared parental pay);

(b) how much of the entitlement to leave the employee intends to exercise;

(c) the extent to which A intends to exercise an entitlement to leave under subsection (1) or to statutory shared parental pay.

(7) Regulations under subsections (1) and (4) are to provide for leave in respect of a child placed, or expected to be placed, under section 22C of the Children Act 1989 by a local authority in England with a local authority foster parent who has been approved as a prospective adopter.

(8) This section and section 75H have effect in relation to regulations made by virtue of subsection (7) as if references to a child being placed for adoption under the law of any part of the United Kingdom were references to being placed under section 22C of the Children Act 1989 with a local authority foster parent who has been approved as a prospective adopter.

75H Entitlement to leave under section 75G: further provision

(1) Regulations under section 75G are to include provision for determining—

(a) the amount of leave under section 75G(1) or (4) to which an employee is entitled in respect of a child;

(b) when leave under section 75G(1) or (4) may be taken.

(2) Provision under subsection (1)(a) is to secure that the amount of leave to which an employee is entitled in respect of a child does not exceed—

(a) in a case where a person with whom the child is, or is expected to be, placed for adoption became entitled to adoption leave, the relevant amount of time reduced by—

(i) where the person's adoption leave ends without the person's ordinary or additional adoption leave period having been curtailed by virtue of section 75A(2A)(a) or 75B(3)(a), the amount of adoption leave taken by that person, or

(ii) except where sub-paragraph (i) applies, the amount of time between the beginning of the person's adoption leave and the time when the person's ordinary or additional adoption leave period, as curtailed by virtue of section 75A(2A)(a) or 75B(3)(a), comes to an end;

(b) in a case where a person with whom the child is, or is expected to be, placed for adoption became entitled to statutory adoption pay but not adoption leave, the relevant amount of time reduced by an amount determined in accordance with paragraph (a) or, as the case may be, paragraph (b) of section 171ZV(6) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992.

(3) In subsection (2) “the relevant amount of time” means an amount of time specified in or determined in accordance with regulations under section 75G.

(4) Provision under subsection (1)(a) is to secure that the amount of leave that an employee is entitled to take in respect of a child takes into account—

(a) in a case where another person is entitled to leave under section 75G in respect of the child, the amount of such leave taken by the other person;

(b) in a case where another person is entitled to statutory shared parental pay in respect of the child but not leave under section 75G, the number of weeks in respect of which such pay is payable to the other person.

(5) In reckoning for the purposes of subsection (2) the amount of adoption leave taken, a part of a week is to be treated as a full week.

(6) In reckoning for the purposes of subsection (4) the amount of leave under section 75G taken during a period of such leave, a part of a week is to be treated as a full week.

(7) Provision under subsection (1)(b) is to secure that leave under section 75G must be taken before the end of such period as may be prescribed by the regulations.

(8) Regulations under section 75G are to provide for the taking of leave under section 75G in a single period or in non-consecutive periods.

(9) Regulations under section 75G may—

(a) provide for an employer, subject to such restrictions as may be specified, to require an employee who proposes to take non-consecutive periods of leave under section 75G to take that amount of leave as a single period of leave, and

(b) provide for a single period of leave that is so imposed on an employee to start with a day proposed by the employee or, if no day is proposed, with the first day of the first period of leave proposed by the employee.

(10) Regulations under section 75G may provide for the variation, subject to such restrictions as may be specified, of—

(a) the period or periods during which an amount of leave under section 75G is to be taken;

(b) the amount of leave under section 75G that the employee previously specified in accordance with provision under section 75G(3)(b) or (6)(b) or subsection (13)(b) of this section.

(11) Provision under subsection (10)(a) may provide for variation to be subject to the consent of an employer in circumstances specified by the regulations.

(12) Provision under subsection (10)(b) may require an employee to satisfy specified conditions—

(a) as to giving notice of an intention to vary the amount of leave under section 75G to be taken by the employee;

(b) if the employee proposes to vary the amount of leave under section 75G(1) to be taken by the employee, as to the consent of P to that variation;

(c) if the employee proposes to vary the amount of leave under section 75G(4) to be taken by the employee, as to the consent of A to that variation.

(13) Provision under subsection (12)(a) may require an employee to give notice to the employer about—

(a) the extent to which the employee has exercised an entitlement to leave under section 75G(1) or (4) in respect of the child;

(b) how much of the entitlement to leave the employee intends to exercise;

(c) the extent to which a person other than the employee has exercised an entitlement to leave under section 75G or to statutory shared parental pay in respect of the child;

(d) the extent to which a person other than the employee intends to exercise such an entitlement.

(14) Regulations under section 75G may—

(a) specify things which are, or are not, to be taken as done for the purpose of caring for a child;

(b) make provision excluding the right to be absent on leave under section 75G in respect of a child where more than one child is placed for adoption as part of the same arrangement;

(c) specify a minimum amount of leave under section 75G which may be taken;

(d) make provision about how leave under section 75G may be taken;

(e) specify circumstances in which an employee may work for the employer during a period of leave under section 75G without bringing the particular period of leave, or the employee's entitlement to leave under section 75G, to an end;

(f) specify circumstances in which an employee may be absent on leave under section 75G otherwise than for the purpose of caring for a child without bringing the person's entitlement to leave under section 75G to an end.

(15) In this section “week” means any period of seven days.

(16) The Secretary of State may by regulations provide that the following do not have effect, or have effect with modifications specified by the regulations, in a case where a person who is taking adoption leave or is entitled to be paid statutory adoption pay in respect of a child dies before another person has become entitled to leave under section 75G in respect of the child—

(a) section 75G(4)(b), (c) and (e);

(b) section 75G(5);

(c) section 75G(6)(c);

(d) subsection (12)(c);

(e) subsection (13)(c) and (d).

(17) The Secretary of State may by regulations provide for section 75G and this section to have effect in relation to cases which involve adoption, but not the placement of a child for adoption under the law of any part of the United Kingdom, with such modifications as the regulations may prescribe.

(18) The Secretary of State may by regulations provide for section 75G and this section to have effect in relation to cases which involve an employee who has applied, or intends to apply, with another person for a parental order under section 54 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 and a child who is, or will be, the subject of the order, with such modifications as the regulations may prescribe.

75I Rights during and after shared parental leave

(1) Regulations under section 75E or 75G are to provide—

(a) that an employee who is absent on leave under that section is entitled, for such purposes and to such extent as the regulations may prescribe, to the benefit of the terms and conditions of employment which would have applied if the employee had not been absent;

(b) that an employee who is absent on leave under that section is bound, for such purposes and to such extent as the regulations may prescribe, by obligations arising under those terms and conditions, except in so far as they are inconsistent with section 75E(1) or (4) or 75G(1) or (4), as the case may be; and

(c) that an employee who is absent on leave under that section is entitled to return from leave to a job of a kind prescribed by the regulations, subject to section 75J(1).

(2) In subsection (1)(a) “terms and conditions of employment”—

(a) includes matters connected with an employee's employment whether or not they arise under the employee's contract of employment, but

(b) does not include terms and conditions about remuneration.

(3) The reference in subsection (1)(c) to absence on leave under section 75E or 75G includes, where appropriate, a reference to a continuous period of absence attributable partly to leave under one of those sections and partly to any one or more of the following—

(a) leave under the other of those sections,

(b) maternity leave,

(c) paternity leave,

(d) adoption leave, and

(e) parental leave.

(4) Regulations under section 75E or 75G may specify matters which are, or are not, to be treated as remuneration for the purposes of this section.

(5) Regulations under section 75E or 75G may make provision, in relation to the right to return mentioned in subsection (1)(c), about—

(a) seniority, pension rights and similar rights;

(b) terms and conditions of employment on return.

75J Redundancy and dismissal

(1) Regulations under section 75E or 75G may make provision about—

(a) redundancy, or

(b) dismissal (other than by reason of redundancy),

during a period of leave under that section.

(2) Provision made by virtue of subsection (1) may include—

(a) provision requiring an employer to offer alternative employment;

(b) provision for the consequences of failure to comply with the regulations (which may include provision for a dismissal to be treated as unfair for the purposes of Part 10).

75K Chapter 1B: supplemental

(1) Regulations under section 75E or 75G may—

(a) make provision about notices to be given, evidence to be produced and other procedures to be followed by—

(i) employees,

(ii) employers, and

(iii) relevant persons;

(b) make provision requiring such persons to keep records;

(c) make provision for the consequences of failure to give notices, to produce evidence, to keep records or to comply with other procedural requirements;

(d) make provision for the consequences of failure to act in accordance with a notice given by virtue of paragraph (a);

(e) make special provision for cases where an employee has a right which corresponds to a right under section 75E or 75G and which arises under the employee's contract of employment or otherwise;

(f) make provision modifying the effect of Chapter 2 of Part 14 (calculation of a week's pay) in relation to an employee who is or has been absent from work on leave under section 75E or 75G;

(g) make provision applying, modifying or excluding an enactment, in such circumstances as may be specified and subject to any conditions which may be specified, in relation to a person entitled to take leave under section 75E or 75G.

(2) In subsection (1) “relevant person” means—

(a) a person who, in connection with an employee's claim to be entitled to leave under section 75E or 75G, is required to satisfy conditions specified in provision under section 75E(2) or (5) or 75G(2) or (5), or

(b) a person who is an employer or former employer of such a person.

(3) In subsection (2)(b) “employer”, in relation to a person falling within subsection (2)(a) who is an employed earner, includes a person who is a secondary contributor as regards that employed earner.

(4) The conditions as to employment or self-employment that may be specified in provision under section 75E(2) or (5) or 75G(2) or (5) include conditions as to being in employed or self-employed earner's employment.

(5) In subsections (3) and (4)—

• “employed earner” and “self-employed earner” have the meaning given by section 2 of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992, subject for these purposes to the effect of regulations made under section 2(2)(b) of that Act (persons who are to be treated as employed or self-employed earners);

• “employment”, in the case of employment as an employed or self-employed earner, has the meaning given by section 122 of that Act;

• “secondary contributor”, as regards an employed earner, means a person who—

  (a)

  is indicated by section 7(1) of that Act, as that subsection has effect subject to section 7(2) of that Act, as being a secondary contributor as regards the earner, or

  (b)

  is indicated by regulations under section 7(2) of that Act as being a person to be treated as a secondary contributor as regards the earner.

(6) Regulations under any of sections 75E to 75H may make different provision for different cases or circumstances.

(7) Where sections 75G and 75H have effect in relation to such cases as are described in section 75H(18), regulations under section 75G about evidence to be produced may require statutory declarations as to—

(a) eligibility to apply for a parental order;

(b) intention to apply for such an order.”

(2) In section 236 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (orders and regulations), in subsection (3) (affirmative procedure required), after “75A, 75B,” there is inserted “ 75E, 75F(16), 75G, 75H(16), (17) or (18) ”.

Commencement Information

I1 S. 117 in force at 30.6.2014 by S.I. 2014/1640, art. 3(1)(a)