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Ministry of Defence: Parental Leave

Asked by Dame Harriett BaldwinConservativeMinistry of DefenceTabled Answered 28 January 2025UIN 25200

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether their Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day.

Answered by Al Carns

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not offer Shared Parental Leave (SPL) to employees as a day one right.

To be eligible for SPL, a MOD Civilian employee (or their partner) must be entitled to Maternity/Adoption Leave or Pay (or Maternity Allowance), and must share the main responsibility for caring for the child with their partner.

One parent must have worked for the same employer for at least 26 weeks, 15 weeks before the child is due. They should also still be employed in the first week that Shared Parental Leave is to be taken. In addition, the other parent must have worked for 26 weeks in the 66 weeks leading up to the due date.

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