The Parental Bereavement Leave Bill Committee Stage, a line by line examination of the bill took place on 17th July 2018 where the Order of Commitment was discharged by Parliament with the Bill subsequently moving to its third reading on 24th July. This was the final chance for the Lords to 'tidy up' or change the bill. No amendments were made and the Bill was passed.
The text of the Bill was agreed by both Houses and now waits for the final stage of Royal Assent when the Bill will become an act of Parliament. A date for the Royal Assent has yet to be scheduled.
Lord Knight of Weymouth who has helped take the Bill through the upper chamber of Parliament paid tribute to Lucy Herd, a mother who has campaigned for a change in the law following the tragic death of her son Jack in 2010. Lord Weymouth commented, “It is a good Bill, which addresses the significant hole in our legislation that means there is currently no specific legal entitlement to time off in the event that a person loses a child.”
Lord Henley, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said “I thank the noble Lord, Lord Knight, for taking through this very important piece of legislation, which provides at the very least two weeks of guaranteed time away from work for those employees who have suffered the tragedy of losing a child before that child has had the opportunity to reach adulthood.”
Once the Bill receives Royal Assent, the Government will ascertain the necessary regulations which could be as early as next year. We will provide an update on the final stages of proceedings when it happens. In the meantime, you can read about the progress of the Bill or keep up to date at:
Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Bill 2017-19 Progress - https://services.parliament.uk/bills/2017-19/parentalbereavementleaveandpay.html
SOURCES
Week Ahead In Parliament - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-parliaments-44904119
The Brain Tumour Charity - https://www.thebraintumourcharity.org/media-centre/news/policy-news/parental-bereavement-leave-and-pay-bill-passes-fin/
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