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Parental Leave: Terminal Illnesses

Asked by Ann DaviesPlaid CymruDepartment for Business and TradeTabled Answered 20 October 2025UIN 80115

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of a statutory right to (a) paid leave and (b) job protection for parents of (i) critically and (ii) terminally ill children.

Answered by Kate Dearden

The Department for Business and Trade has committed to consult on employment rights for parents of seriously ill children, including terminally ill children, and will develop this consultation in partnership with key stakeholders such as the charity It's Never You. Developing and delivering this consultation will allow the department to properly consider the merits and potential costs of any such entitlement.

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