THE Prime Minister has been asked to force government departments to publish full details of parental leave entitlement.
The LibDem deputy leader Jo Swinson, who is currently on maternity leave herself, says her research shows that just four out of 25 government departments currently publish information about the rights of new parents.
Yesterday, Swinson,who as employment relations minister, oversaw the introduction of shared parental leave, said she was disappointed the Government wasn’t being more transparent.
“Discrimination against pregnant women and new mothers is still rife in the workplace,” she said.
“I am deeply disappointed that until recently just two government departments published their parental leave and pay entitlements.
“The Civil Service should set the gold standard for employers across the UK, but on this issue it is failing.”
Only the Department for Work and Pensions, the Ministry of Defence, the Department for Education and the Department for Transport publish detailed information about their parental leave and pay entitlements online.
Swinson is pursuing a Private Member’s Bill which, if successful, would require employers with more than 250 employees to publish information about parental leave and pay entitlements.
“If Theresa May wants to tackle society’s burning injustices, as she claimed on the steps of 10 Downing Street, then I fully expect her to support my Bill,” she said.
“The Prime Minister must instruct all departments to put this information in the public domain at once.”
A spokesman for the Prime Minister declined to comment.
A Cabinet Office spokesman said there were plans to publish further details on parents’ entitlements on gov.uk in the coming months.
She added: “The Civil Service offers a full range of parental leave, including shared parental and adoption leave, for which it pays occupational rates.
“Details of these policies are well publicised to employees online.”
The law allows most working women up to one year of maternity leave with statutory pay. Fathers can also often take two weeks’ paid paternity leave or couples can opt for “shared parental leave”, though employers can offer “ enhanced” parental leave.
Swinson was at the centre of a row last month, after the Tories broke a promise not to vote while the LibDem was on maternity leave.
Tory chairman Brandon Lewis was “paired” with the East Dunbartonshire MP for a crunch Brexit vote.
The archaic procedure of pairing is well established in the House of Commons, and means that neither in the pairing arrangement should voted, effectively cancelling each other out.
Lewis, under the direction of the chief whip abandoned that promise, and an amendment to the EU Trade Bill that would have kept the UK in a customs union, was defeated by the Tories by just six votes.
Swinson, who gave birth to her son Gabriel at the end of June, was furious and accused the Tories of cheating.
The Prime Minister apologised, claiming the break in pairing was a mistake and had been done in error.
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