Baby leave for Members of Parliament

There will be a debate on baby leave for MPs to be held in the Commons Chamber on Thursday 1 February. The subject of the debate was determined by the Backbench Business Committee, following an application from Harriet Harman.

The motion for debate is:

• That this House believes that it would be to the benefit of the functioning of parliamentary democracy that hon. Members who have had a baby or adopted a child should for a period of time be entitled, but not required, to discharge their responsibilities to vote in this House by proxy.

Currently, arrangements regarding maternity, paternity, parental, adoption, and caring leave for Members are informal and operate at the party level.