To ask the Minister for the Economy, following the passing of the Holidays (Bereavement Leave for Miscarriage) Amendment Bill (No 2) in New Zealand, whether she has any plans to bring forward proposals for bereavement leave to provide leave for miscarriage and for stillbirth so parents don’t have to use sick or annual holiday leave.

It is my intention to introduce a Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay (PBLP) Bill in the Assembly in the coming days. My planned Bill includes provision for parents who suffer a still birth in addition to parents who suffer the loss of a child under the age of 18. It will not include a specific provision for parents who suffer a miscarriage.

I am aware of the recent changes in New Zealand and, whilst a specific provision for paid leave to support those who suffer a miscarriage is not included in my PBLP Bill, I do acknowledge that losing a child through miscarriage can be devastating. My main focus, however, in this Bill has been placed on working parents who experience stillbirths and child deaths.

My experience, however, is that good employers do treat their employees who suffer such a loss with compassion and empathy and I encourage all employers to do the same.

I will continue to monitor any changes made in Great Britain and further afield

to ensure that the employment law framework in Northern Ireland is

comparable and fair.

My immediate priority for this mandate remains to introduce Parental

Bereavement Leave and Pay in NI akin to that which was introduced in GB in

April 2020 and to focus on our continued economic recovery efforts in response

to COVID-19.