An SNP bill which will give parents of premature and sick babies additional leave should soon become law.
Stuart McDonald is the driving force behind the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Bill which is having its third reading in the House of Lords on Tuesday.
It would give parents paid leave if their baby spends seven or more consecutive days being cared for in a health setting before they are 28 days old.
The bill is expected to achieve royal assent imminently after passing through the Lords.
If does so, the leave would work on top of other parental entitlements and could be taken following maternity, paternity, adoption and bereavement leave.
But the Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East MP has urged UK ministers to ensure implementation as soon as possible and expressed frustration that this could still take up to two years.
McDonald has also echoing calls for more employers to replicate best practise by implementing leave and pay early.
He said: “Welcoming a new baby into the world is a life-changing moment for parents, full of joy but also challenges.
“However, tens of thousands of parents across the UK each year face additional worries if their baby is born prematurely or unwell and in need of neonatal care.
“One in seven babies born in the UK receive some form of neonatal care just after birth. I think we can all agree that we should do what we can to make life a bit easier for these parents, at a traumatic and stressful time. That is why my Private Members’ Bill, introduced in Parliament last June, is so vital.
“When the bill achieves Royal Assent it will give parents with a baby in neonatal care additional protected leave and pay, and at least help to ensure they are able to spend more time with their babies and relieve some of the financial strain.
“I want to see this crucial Bill passed and implemented as quickly as possible. The Bill’s provisions cannot take away the trauma of having a child in neonatal care, but it can help to relieve some of the practical and financial challenges that so many families are having to face.
“While clearly time is needed to put in place the necessary arrangements and make sure employers are aware of their new responsibilities, estimates that it could be up to two years before the new leave and pay are available are frustrating. We know HMRC can make changes quickly if required and I hope these changes are brought into effect as soon as possible.
"In the meantime, I would echo calls from campaigning organisations for employers to consider implementing neonatal care and leave early. There are a good number of employers who already do this, and both they and their employees reap the benefit from that. Help and support to make that happen is available”.
Caroline Lee-Davey, chief executive of premature and sick babies charity Bliss, welcomed the bill.
She said: “After so many years of campaigning, we are absolutely thrilled to see neonatal leave and pay pass through the House of Lords. The Bill will make a huge difference to around 60,000 parents every year, and to their babies.
"It will relieve the additional stress of having to juggle looking after a critically ill baby in hospital with work, ease some of the financial pressure and, by allowing parents to be more involved in their baby’s care, improve the health outcomes of premature and sick babies.
“For many families the inflexibility of the current parental leave system exacerbates the trauma that parents experience when their baby is admitted to neonatal care. This Bill has the potential to transform the experience of both parents and employers.”
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