PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION AND EMPLOYMENT TRIBUNAL TIME LIMIT

Early day motion 15, tabled 21 June 2017 by Caroline Lucas (Green). Signed by 103 members.

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.

Signatures by party: Labour 44, Scottish National Party 24, Labour/Co-operative 16, Liberal Democrat 9, Plaid Cymru 4, DUP 3, Conservative 1, Green 1, Independent 1.