§ Ms HarmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list those European countries which(a) pay and (b) do not pay people on parental leave, indicating the methods used for making such payments. [83558]
§ Mr. ByersFrom the information that we hold, it appears that some form of state payment is provided in Italy, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany and Luxembourg during parental leave, subject to each Member State's qualifying conditions.
There does not appear to be any universal provision for payment in Spain, Portugal, Greece, Ireland or the Netherlands.