On 1 July 2025, the Government launched a full review of all parental leave and pay rights in the UK. To support the review, the Government has also issued a public call for evidence which is open until 25 August 2025.
The review is expected to run for 18 months and will influence upcoming changes to law and policy in this area.
What the review involves
In line with the Government’s plans to “make work pay”, the review will cover all types of parental leave and pay rights including maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental and unpaid parental leave.
The review will involve consultations with experts, charities, parents and employers. It will also include thorough assessments of current data, statutory pay levels, eligibility and barriers to accessing parental leave and pay rights.
Why this review matters
Existing research suggests that the current system is overly complicated resulting in low uptake and inadequate support for working families in many cases. As such, some of the aims of the review are to:
- Improve understanding of the current system
- Develop the system so that it better supports the Government’s objectives
- Clarify the objectives of parental leave and pay rights
- Increase support for working families and children
What happens next?
The Employment Rights Bill has already proposed a number of changes designed to provide enhanced rights to working families, including making paternity and unpaid parental leave “day one” rights. However, these proposals are just a small part of the amendments needed to reform what the Government has acknowledged to be an “over complex” and inadequate system.
It is expected that this “landmark” review will bring about more significant changes to parental entitlements. The review will come to an end in December 2026 and the Government will publish its findings along with a “roadmap” setting out its proposals for implementing any reforms. The Government will then need to carry out further consultation before introducing any new legislation, meaning that it might be close to the next General Election before we a reformed system is implemented.
We now await the outcome of this review and look forward to seeing how it could influence the UK’s parental leave and pay rights. As always, employers subscribed to our Absolute HR Employment Law Package can expect to receive timely updates about the ERB and any changes it brings to parental leave and pay rights.
If you have queries about parental leave and pay rights, please contact a member of the Employment team at Glaisyers ETL.
