Impact of Covid-19 on new parents: one year on

Petitions Committee Closed Non-inquiry session
Opened: 5 Jul 2021 Closed: 21 Feb 2022 Parliament page
One year on from the publication of its report on the impact of Covid-19 on maternity and parental leave, the Petitions Committee will hear from expert witnesses about the progress made against the problems identified and recommendations made to the Government in the report.
18 Recommendations
8 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
1 Letter
1 Event
Activity timeline 5 events
7 Mar
2022
Report published
15 Dec
2021
Correspondence
7 Oct
2021
Report published
14 Jul
2021
Oral evidence
14 Jul
2021
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 8, Palace of Westminster
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
14 Jul 2021
View on parliament.uk
Impact of Covid-19 on new parents: one year on
Bethany Power, Petition signatory · Private citizen Dr Sarah McMullen · NCT (National Childbirth Trust) Emily Tredget · Happity Joeli Brearley · Pregnant Then Screwed Neil Leitch · Early Years Alliance Rosalind Bragg · Maternity Action Sally Hogg · Parent-Infant Foundation Sue Armstrong Brown · Adoption UK
Title HC No. Published Items Response
First Report - Impact of Covid-19 on new parents: one year on HC 479 7 Oct 2021 26 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
5 results
Clear
12 Recommendation Not Addressed
First Report - Impact of Covid-19…
We recommend that the Government urgently engage with the Health and Safety Executive and relevant...
We recommend that the Government urgently engage with the Health and Safety Executive and relevant stakeholder groups to review HSE’s monitoring and enforcement activity specifically relating to employers’ health and safety obligations to pregnant women. Any barriers to at-scale enforcement … Read more
Government Response
The government's response did not address the recommendation concerning the review of HSE's health and safety monitoring and enforcement for pregnant women or the requirement for HSE to record and publish related enforcement details. Instead, it discussed planned extensions of redundancy protections for new and expectant mothers.
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14 Recommendation Not Addressed
First Report - Impact of Covid-19…
We echo our recommendation from last year’s report that the Government should legislate as soon...
We echo our recommendation from last year’s report that the Government should legislate as soon as possible to introduce its planned extension of redundancy protections for new and expectant mothers. It must clarify a timeframe for doing this, and, if … Read more
Government Response
The government's response did not address the recommendation to legislate urgently for extended redundancy protections for new and expectant mothers or provide a timeframe. Instead, it stated that the government is considering extending the time limit for bringing Equality Act 2010 cases to employment tribunals.
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15 Recommendation Not Addressed
First Report - Impact of Covid-19…
We also repeat our previous recommendation that the Government should extend the period in which...
We also repeat our previous recommendation that the Government should extend the period in which new and expectant parents may bring claims to an employment tribunal. The Government must urgently conclude its work to consider this change and clarify when … Read more
Government Response
The government's response focuses on current childcare provision, funding, and parental leave rights, without addressing the recommendation to extend the period for new and expectant parents to bring claims to an employment tribunal.
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18 Recommendation Not Addressed
First Report - Impact of Covid-19…
We support the call of petitioners for an independent review into childcare funding and affordability.
We support the call of petitioners for an independent review into childcare funding and affordability. We recommend that the Government should commission such a review, to consider how to provide greater financial security to the sector following the pandemic, as … Read more
Government Response
The government did not commit to commissioning an independent review into childcare funding and affordability. Instead, they highlighted a new £500 million investment package for families and early years, detailing specific allocations for mental health support, Family Hubs, and staff training.
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20 Recommendation Not Addressed
First Report - Impact of Covid-19…
Ahead of the 2021 Spending Review, we recommend that the Government assess which elements of...
Ahead of the 2021 Spending Review, we recommend that the Government assess which elements of the Best Start for Life Review’s implementation could be accelerated—in particular, opportunities to grow the health visiting workforce—and provide targeted funding to help achieve this. Read more
Government Response
The government's response did not address the recommendation to assess and accelerate elements of the Best Start for Life Review implementation, particularly growing the health visiting workforce and providing targeted funding. Instead, it focused on the importance and safety of COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant women.
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Government Response AI assessment · 26 of 18 classified
Accepted 13
Accepted in Part 1
Acknowledged 3
Deferred 2
Not Addressed 5
Rejected 2
Total 18 recs + 8 conclusions
Correspondence 1 letter
15 Dec 2021 Correspondence from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Vaccines and Public Health relating to the Committee’s inquiry into the impact of Covid-19 on new parents: one year on
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