Unpaid parental leave
6.26. Under the Maternity
and Parental Leave etc. Regulations 1999 staff may, under certain
conditions, be able to take up to 13 weeks unpaid parental leave
in respect of their child (18 weeks if the child is disabled).
The member of staff must have at least one year's service and
be the parent of a child born to or adopted by them on or after
15 December 1994. He or she will be eligible to take such leave
either after the birth or adoption of the child or after completion
of one year's service, whichever is the later. The right applies
to staff who have acquired formal parental responsibility for
a child as it does to mothers and fathers. Unpaid parental leave
is additional to any maternity, paternity or adoption leave.
6.27. The member of staff
will remain employed while on parental leave and contractual notice
and redundancy terms will still apply; and he or she has a right
of return to the same job.
6.28. The following conditions
apply:
— if the child was born after 15 December
1999 and the parent has completed one year's continuous service
in the House, the right to take leave lasts until the child's
5th birthday or until 5 years after the placement for adoption.
In the case of a disabled child (i.e. a child entitled to disability
living allowance), leave can be taken up to the child's eighteenth
birthday;
— both parents are entitled to parental
leave; and
— parental leave taken in previous employment
will be taken into account in determining eligibility and if necessary
a declaration sought from the staff member about how much leave
has already been taken.
6.29. Following a work
place agreement with the Trade Unions, no more than four weeks'
leave may be taken in one year. Most staff are required to take
leave only during periods when the House is not sitting (see paragraph
5.5). Members of staff who take unpaid parental leave during sitting
periods may therefore be asked by their Head of Office to work
during recesses in lieu, but not during the seven weeks'
minimum leave entitlement. Three weeks notice of parental leave
will normally be required. All applications for parental leave
should be discussed in advance with the Human Resources Office.
Unpaid leave for the care of
dependants
6.30. The Employment Rights
Act 1996 provides that an employee is entitled to take such reasonable
amount of unpaid time off during working hours as may be necessary
to:
— provide assistance to or arrange care
when a dependant falls ill, gives birth, or is injured;
— deal with unexpected disruption in any
care arrangements;
— make arrangements following a death;
— deal with an incident involving a dependant
child.
6.31. A dependant is an
employee's wife, husband, civil partner, child, parent or someone
living in the same household.
6.32. For House of Lords
staff, it is unlikely that this right will need to be exercised
often in view of the special leave policy set out at paragraph
5.10(1)-(3) above.
Childcare Vouchers
6.33. Members of staff
with pre-school-age children may be eligible for childcare vouchers
to assist them in paying for childcare. Assistance for childcare
for children of school age up to the age of thirteen may also
be available in certain circumstances during school holidays and
after school hours. Further details are available from the Human
Resources Office who will assist staff in making the claim.
Help with extra childcare costs
incurred during training
6.34. Staff may claim
reimbursement of additional childcare costs incurred by attending
a course recommended by their line manager, for example if they
need to use the creche at the National School of Government at
Sunningdale in order to attend a residential course there, or
receipted additional childminding fees.
