No shared leave for minister who is promoting it

THE Government minister responsible for encouraging fathers to take shared parental leave has admitted he is barred from taking up the opportunity himself.

Andrew Griffiths, a business minister, was promoting the scheme which gives new parents a legal entitlement to split 50 weeks of absence between them.

But he was left struggling to defend the scheme after he admitted that despite being an expectant dad, he is not entitled to it because of a clause in the relevant legislation.

Asked if he was going to take shared parental leave, Mr Griffiths said: “Unfortunately, as a minister, I’m not allowed. Ministers are not allowed to take shared parental leave. It’s because I’m an office holder rather than an employee.

“I’m sure [people] will have huge sympathy for a minister not being able to take their shared parental leave. But I think I am going to be the first-ever minister responsible for maternity and paternity to take their full allocation of paternity. I’ve already told my office that I’m taking two weeks off.”

A spokesman for the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) confirmed that MPS and ministers are unable to take advantage of the 50 weeks of joint leave available to employees.

Arrangements for MPS are instead made privately between members and their partners, while ministers are required to coordinate leave with the Cabinet Office.

Introduced in April 2015, shared parental leave allows parents to split 50 weeks of absence to care for their newborn. Parents can take the entitlement separately or at the same time, in a move ministers claim is helping to “break down cultural barriers” and increase opportunities for flexible working.

However, the Government’s own estimates suggest that as few as 2 per cent of those eligible have taken up shared parental leave.