Work and Families Bill Committee Stage - Call for Evidence

The Work and Families Bill was formally introduced to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 28 April 2014 and received its Second Reading on 12 May 2014. The Bill has been referred to the Committee for Employment and Learning which has responsibility for the Committee Stage of the Bill.

The main purpose of the Work and Families Bill as outlined by the Department of Employment and Learning will enable Northern Ireland leave and pay entitlements to continue to match those available to working parents in Great Britain. The Bill also extends the right to request flexible working to all employees with an appropriate length of service. Finally, the Bill introduces a minor technical amendment in support of a programme, developed as part of the Department’s employment law review, to consolidate working time regulations. The Bill’s provisions will:

i. create a new entitlement for employees to be absent from work on “shared parental leave” for the purposes of caring for a newly born or adopted child;

ii. permit qualifying birth parents, adopters and intended parents in surrogacy arrangements to qualify for “shared parental pay”;

iii. make provision for intended parents in surrogacy arrangements to avail of paternity and adoption leave and pay;

iv. set in place powers allowing notice periods for paternity leave and pay to be equalised;

v. set in place powers which, following a future review and subject to Assembly confirmation of relevant regulations, would allow statutory paternity rights to be made more generous;

vi. provide for statutory adoption pay to be paid at 90% of earnings for the first six weeks;

vii. remove the current entitlements to additional paternity leave and pay (given that these entitlements are being replaced by shared parental entitlements);

viii. create a new right for employees and certain agency workers who have a qualifying relationship with a pregnant woman or her expected child to attend up to two ante-natal appointments during the pregnancy;

ix. create a comparable right for secondary adopters;

x. create a new right for primary adopters to take paid leave to attend up to five introductory meetings before a child is placed with them for adoption; and

xi. remove the current requirement that an employee must have parental or caring responsibility in order to make a flexible working request.

Any organisation or individual with an interest in this consultation is invited to submit evidence to the Committee by e-mail:
cel@niassembly.gov.uk

or by post to:
Cathie White, Committee Clerk, Room 343, Parliament Buildings, Ballymiscaw, Stormont, Belfast, BT4 3XX

The evidence must be structured to address the specific clauses of the Bill.

If you do not have access to the internet or e-mail facilities or you have any other enquiries, please contact the Committee Clerk on 028 9052 1448.

The closing date for submissions is 23 June 2014.