BIS to Launch Consultation on Extension of Shared Parental Leave Rights to Grandparents
The Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), will shortly be publishing a consultation regarding the extension of shared parental leave rights to grandparents and in respect of the simplification of the current shared parental leave system.
We previously reported on George Osborne's announcement that he would extend SPL and pay to working grandparents.
The consultation on this proposal is expected to be published after the EU referendum, though it will not involve a review of the SPL regime itself, as there will be a separate process to review this 3 years after its implementation.
Under the current SPL scheme, a child's mother, who is eligible for SPL, may only share SPL and pay with the child's father, or the person who, at the date of the child's birth, is the mother's spouse, civil partner or partner.
'Partner' is defined as a person (whether of the same sex or a different sex) who lives with the mother/adoptive mother and the child in an enduring family relationship, but who is not the mother's/adoptive mother's child, parent, grandchild, grandparent, sibling, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew.
It is expected that, following BIS' consultation, the government will produce legislation to extend SPL to working grandparents and simplify the current SPL regime, with the aim of implementing the policy by 2018.
We will be participating in the consultation process, as part of the Employment Lawyers Association and will keep you updated on progress.