The Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Bill has received Royal Assent, becoming the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018.
The process of Royal Assent is when a bill has gone through all the parliamentary stages. Once this has happened it is then ready to receive Royal Assent, when the Queen agrees to make the bill into an Act of Parliament.
The Act gives all employed parents a statutory right to two weeks’ leave if they lose a child under the age of 18, or suffer a stillbirth from 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Employed parents will also be able to claim statutory parental bereavement pay if they meet the relevant eligibility criteria. The leave must be taken within 56 days of the child’s death.
It is expected that the new rights will come into force in 2020.
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