Motion text
That this House welcomes the announcement to allow employed parents of premature and sick babies to to claim up to 12 weeks Neonatal Leave and Pay; recognises the positive impact this will have for thousands of families every year; understands that over 100,000 babies are admitted to neonatal care every year leading to many parents using their maternity or paternity leave before getting them home; notes around 1 in 4 working men do not currently qualify for paternity leave; understands that this limits parental involvement in their baby's care despite this being essential for babies’ to have the best developmental outcomes; notes having a baby in neonatal care has been shown to negatively affect parents’ mental health with some studies reporting up to 40 per cent of mothers of preterm babies showing signs of post-natal depression compared to 10 per cent of mothers generally; further notes that neonatal care is expensive with parents reporting additional costs of over £280 for every week their baby is in neonatal care at a time when their household income is reduced; and calls on the Government to introduce these welcome proposals swiftly with consideration for parents who do not currently qualify for parental leave rights due to being self-employed or a worker.
Signatures (13)
The first 6 Members who have signed to support the motion are the sponsors. The primary sponsor is generally the person who tabled the motion and has responsibility for it. The date shown is when the Member signed the motion.
Reeves, Rachel
Labour
Signed on
11 March 2020
Penning, Sir Mike
Conservative
Signed on
12 March 2020
Shannon, Jim
Democratic Unionist Party
Signed on
12 March 2020
Bottomley, Sir Peter
Conservative
Signed on
12 March 2020
Gibson, Patricia
Scottish National Party
Signed on
12 March 2020
Chamberlain, Wendy
Liberal Democrat
Signed on
12 March 2020
In addition to the sponsors, the following Members have signed to support the motion.
Stevens, Jo
Labour
Signed on
13 March 2020
Glindon, Mary
Labour
Signed on
14 March 2020
Blackman, Bob
Conservative
Signed on
16 March 2020
Sheerman, Mr Barry
Labour
Signed on
17 March 2020
Stephens, Chris
Scottish National Party
Signed on
19 March 2020
Lucas, Caroline
Green Party
Signed on
23 March 2020
Gwynne, Andrew
Labour
Signed on
21 April 2020
There are no withdrawn signatures for this motion.