PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Home Office: Paternity Leave (8 October 2024)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average length of paternity leave taken by staff in her Department was in each of the last three years; and whether she holds similar data for police forces in England and Wales.

Asked by:
Shaun Davies (Labour)

The Home Office policy is named 'maternity and adoption support leave' in recognition of the fact that the secondary parent or, in the case of adoption, the secondary adopter, is not necessarily a man. The average length of maternity and adoption support for last three financial years is outlined below.

Year	Average length of Maternity and Adoption support (Calendar days)
2021-22	14
2022-23	14
2023-24	14

The Home Office does not collect centrally information on the average length of paternity leave taken by those working within the police service.

Answered by:
Dame Diana Johnson (Labour)
16 October 2024