Department for Education: Paternity Leave
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department offers paternity leave to its staff from their first working day.
Answered by Janet Daby
Employees must have at least 26 continuous weeks employment in the Civil Service up to any day in the ‘qualifying week’ to be eligible for paternity leave. The ‘qualifying week’ is the fifteenth week before the baby is due.
As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.
Some employees may qualify for statutory paternity leave on their first day of service with the department because they have qualifying service with another Civil Service department.
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