Parental Leave (Premature and Sick Babies) Bill

A Bill to extend entitlements to parental leave for parents of babies born prematurely or requiring neonatal care; and for connected purposes.

Originating House

House of Commons

Parliament last updated

19 September 2019

In Plain English

AI-generated

May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.

The Parental Leave (Premature and Sick Babies) Bill would extend parental leave rights to parents of babies born prematurely or needing neonatal care. It aims to make it easier for these families to take time off work and to support them during the neonatal period and afterwards.

Key Points

Extends parental leave entitlements to parents of premature babies or babies needing neonatal care.
Clarifies eligibility and scope of parental leave for these families.
Seeks to strengthen rights and protections surrounding take‑up of parental leave in these circumstances.
Currently at the 2nd Reading in the House of Commons; first reading was in 2019.

Progress

The bill is at the 2nd Reading stage in the Commons. It has a history dating back to its first reading in 2019, with no further stages yet completed in its current session.

Who is affected?

Parents and families of babies born prematurely or requiring neonatal careEmployers and HR teams who administer parental leaveHealthcare providers and neonatal care teams supporting families

Generated 21 February 2026

Bill Stages

1st readingCommons

12 Jun 2019

2nd readingCommons

Committee stageCommons

Report stageCommons

3rd readingCommons

1st readingLords

2nd readingLords

Committee stageLords

Report stageLords

3rd readingLords

Royal Assent

Updates & Documents

News (1)

News - Parental Leave (Premature and Sick Babies)

1 Jan 1970

The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress.

Parliamentary Votes (0)

No recorded votes for this bill yet.