Clause 2 - Statutory paternity pay
Employment Bill
3:15 pm
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
I should clarify that the amendment would not delete several pages of the Bill. It would remove the large part of new section 171ZA. That new section defines the conditions that have to be met for entitlement to statutory paternity pay. I suggest that the entitlement should be defined in the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 by reference to the Employment Rights Act 1996. Someone entitled to a period of statutory paternity leave should be entitled to statutory paternity pay during that period. Referring to the definitions in the other Act is a neat way of ensuring symmetry without further complications. The amendment was designed to address that.
The Government intended that a person entitled to statutory paternity leave would be entitled to statutory paternity pay with the exception of those who fall below the lower earnings limit for national insurance contributions. If that is not the case, and the Minister envisages other groups who are entitled to leave but
not pay, it would be useful if he could explain who they are. I apologise, Mr. Conway, I forgot that that was an intervention.