Shared parental leave numbers revealed

The government has published figures showing the number of people who have taken shared parental leave (SPL) since it was introduced. SPL allows parents to share maternity or adoption leave and pay between them.

The figures show that each year, between 2015/16 and 2021/22, the number of people taking SPL steadily increased. For women, the number nearly tripled during this period - from 1,100 to 3,200.  For men, the number almost doubled from 5,100 to 9,800. However, the total number of men and women taking shared parental leave in 2021/22 remains low, at only 13,000.

This is perhaps not surprising given that campaign groups including the TUC and Maternity Action have described the SPL scheme as “deeply flawed”. The government itself conducted consultation on reforms to SPL as long ago as 2019, with the government acknowledging that its complexity may be a barrier to take-up.

However, the government’s findings have not yet been published. As part of its response to the written question on take-up figures, it confirmed it was still considering the responses it had received. The slow response from government means that it looks as if the current SPL scheme is here to stay, at least for the time being.