Petition · past parliament
Extend paid maternity leave to cover the time lost in lockdown
Rejected
21 signatures
What the petition asks
Maternity leave should be extended to cover the time lost in lockdown.
I think statutory maternity pay should be added onto the end of maternity leave, for the same period lockdown was in effect.
I think statutory maternity pay should be added onto the end of maternity leave, for the same period lockdown was in effect.
Maternity leave is not just about time off, it's about bonding with your new baby and giving new experiences and secure attachments. A key part of babies development is socialising such as baby classes and activities, all of which have been stopped for the duration of the lockdown. All women on maternity would either be recieving furlough or be a key worker, therefore would be recieveing pay for the duration of the lockdown. I don't think it's fair to use maternity pay during the pandemic.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Extend maternity leave by 3 months with pay in light of COVID-19
You may be interested to know that the Petitions Committee has been investigating this issue.
On 7 May, the Committee heard about the impact of coronavirus on maternity leave. You can find out more here: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/news/146332/petitions-committee-investigate-the-impact-of-coronavirus-on-students-and-on-maternity-leave/
On 21 May, the Committee heard about the impact of coronavirus on maternal mental health, the experiences of parents with babies in neonatal care, the impact on adopted children and adoption leave, and accessing childcare during the pandemic.
You can catch watch the session or read a transcript of the meeting here:
Watch the session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqMKtR-pt0A
Read the transcript: https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/408/default/
Ahead of the session, the Committee asked petitioners to share their experiences on childcare and returning to work.
Read a summary of what petitioners told us about childcare and returning to work during coronavirus: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/5350/default/
Read a summary of what petitioners told us about the impact of coronavirus on maternity leave: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/4258/default/
The Committee has also received written evidence on this issue from organisations and individuals. You can read them here: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/192/the-governments-response-to-coronavirus/publications/written-evidence/
### What is the Petitions Committee?
The Petitions Committee is a cross-party group of MPs that considers e-petitions submitted on Parliament’s petitions website and public (paper) petitions presented to the House of Commons. The Committee can schedule debates, hold in-depth inquiries, and press the Government for action on petitions. It is independent of the Government.
You can get updates on their work by following the Committee on Twitter
@HoCpetitions or on their website: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/
This is a ‘select committee’. Find out how Select Committees work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_2RDuDs44c
Find out more about how petitions work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGEOraE08Jk&feature=youtu.be
You may be interested to know that the Petitions Committee has been investigating this issue.
On 7 May, the Committee heard about the impact of coronavirus on maternity leave. You can find out more here: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/news/146332/petitions-committee-investigate-the-impact-of-coronavirus-on-students-and-on-maternity-leave/
On 21 May, the Committee heard about the impact of coronavirus on maternal mental health, the experiences of parents with babies in neonatal care, the impact on adopted children and adoption leave, and accessing childcare during the pandemic.
You can catch watch the session or read a transcript of the meeting here:
Watch the session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqMKtR-pt0A
Read the transcript: https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/408/default/
Ahead of the session, the Committee asked petitioners to share their experiences on childcare and returning to work.
Read a summary of what petitioners told us about childcare and returning to work during coronavirus: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/5350/default/
Read a summary of what petitioners told us about the impact of coronavirus on maternity leave: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/4258/default/
The Committee has also received written evidence on this issue from organisations and individuals. You can read them here: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/192/the-governments-response-to-coronavirus/publications/written-evidence/
### What is the Petitions Committee?
The Petitions Committee is a cross-party group of MPs that considers e-petitions submitted on Parliament’s petitions website and public (paper) petitions presented to the House of Commons. The Committee can schedule debates, hold in-depth inquiries, and press the Government for action on petitions. It is independent of the Government.
You can get updates on their work by following the Committee on Twitter
@HoCpetitions or on their website: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/
This is a ‘select committee’. Find out how Select Committees work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_2RDuDs44c
Find out more about how petitions work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGEOraE08Jk&feature=youtu.be
Timeline
| 17 Apr 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 27 May 2020 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
21
Status
Rejected
Rejected
27 May 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.