§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many and what percentage of women in Crosby have taken 26 weeks maternity leave since 1997. [160521]
§ Mr. SutcliffeTake-up of maternity leave is not recorded centrally. It is possible to make an estimate of the numbers of women taking maternity leave based on employer returns to Inland Revenue for payment of Statutory Maternity Pay (since 2003 this has covered the first 26 weeks of leave). However, figures for the take-up of SMP are not available on a regional basis.
In addition, there will be some women who will qualify for maternity leave but not SMP (because they do not meet the earnings criteria) and similarly some who qualify for SMP but not leave (because they are employed earners for the purposes of SMP but not employees in order to qualify for leave).