New "Jack's Law" legal right to paid parental bereavement leave announced
It follows a 10 year campaign to get this law passed
Parents who suffer the loss of a child under the age of 18 will be entitled to two weeks' statutory paid leave from work, the Government has announced.
The new legal right, coming into force from April, is the most generous offer on parental bereavement pay and leave in the world, said ministers.
The regulations will be known as Jack's Law, in memory of Jack Herd, whose mother Lucy has been campaigning on the issue since her 23-month-old son Jack drowned in a pond in 2010.
She found out the law only allowed Jack's father three days off work to grieve, one of which had to be the funeral.
Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom said: "There can be few worse experiences in life than the loss of a child and I am proud that this Government is delivering Jack's Law, making us the first country in the word to do so.
Parents will be able to take the leave as either a single block of two weeks, or as two separate blocks of one week each taken at different times across the first year after their child's death.
Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey said: "Labour has supported the proposal for parental bereavement leave from its inception, and we welcome this announcement."
Matthew Percival of the CBI said: "The loss of any child is unimaginably difficult. Offering this flexibility to bereaved parents is something businesses absolutely welcome. Giving time for families to grieve without the worry of what's going on at work is fundamental."
Mike Cherry, chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: "We've engaged with the Government to ensure Jack's Law works for both employees and small businesses, making it a day one right as it absolutely should be."
Published: by Radio NewsHub