Currently, there are no provisions in law for an employee to be granted paid leave on the bereavement of a loved one. Employees are only entitled to “reasonable” unpaid time off for an emergency involving a dependant, and that would include that person’s death. ‘Dependants’ are defined as spouses, civil partners, children or parents, or someone who lives in the same household as a family member.
A private member’s bill, the Parental Bereavement Leave (Statutory Entitlement) Bill 2016-17 has been introduced in parliament under the Ten Minute Rule. This allows an MP to make his or her case for a new bill in a speech lasting up to ten minutes.
If passed into law, it would entitle all employees to two weeks' paid leave if they lose a child under 18.
The second reading of the bill is due on Friday 28 October.
Details of the Bill can be found here.
Sadly, all previous attempts to introduce similar provisions, 2013 and 2014, have been unsuccessful. During the parliamentary debate on the Children and Families Act 2014, the government stated that it was not feasible to legislate in this area due to the number of different family relationships such legislation would need to cover.
