Clause 1 - Paternity leave
Employment Bill
9:30 am
Mr Alan Johnson (Minister of State (Employment and the Regions), Department of Trade and Industry; Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle, Labour)
Good morning, Mr. Amess, and a happy new year to you.
I fully understand the concerns of the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond). There is no difference between us; we agree that the right to paternity leave should apply in cases of stillbirth. The Government are confident that the Bill will achieve that. I checked last night and this morning that that is so, but I shall do so again.
To clarify the hon. Gentleman's point, section 171 of part XII of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 states:
''In this Part of this Act—
'confinement' means—
(a) labour resulting in the issue of a living child, or
(b) labour after 28 weeks of pregnancy resulting in the issue of a child whether alive or dead''.