PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION AND EMPLOYMENT TRIBUNAL TIME LIMIT (20 June 2017)

That this House notes the key findings of research funded by the Department for Business,
Energy and Industrial Strategy and undertaken by the Equality and Human Rights
Commission that some 54,000 women per year are forced out of work by pregnancy or
maternity discrimination, and that three out of four working mothers endure negative or discriminatory treatment at work; further notes that four out of five women who responded
to a recent survey by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the
Maternal Mental Health Alliance experienced at least one episode of a mental health
problem during or after their pregnancy; is concerned that, due to a lack of free legal advice,
the prohibitive cost of employment tribunal fees and a restrictive time limit of three
months, fewer than one per cent of the women affected by pregnancy or maternity
discrimination bring an employment tribunal claim; welcomes the clear recommendations
by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and both the Justice Committee and Women and Equalities Committee that the time limit for pregnancy and maternity discrimination claims be increased to six months; and calls on the Government to demonstrate its very welcome commitment to tackling such unlawful discrimination by acting on this recommendation at the earliest possible opportunity.

Sponsored by:
Caroline Lucas (Green Party)