Carers Week 2022 was held between the 6th-12th June 2022. Following its conclusion, the Liberal Democrat MP, Wendy Chamberlain, has announced that she plans to introduce a private members bills in order to provide a statutory right to 1 weeks unpaid carer's leave. If successful, the legislation would benefit 2.34 million working carers.
Unpaid Carers Leave
The theme of this years Carers Week was to "make caring visible, valued and supported." The charities behind Carers Week 2022, including Carers UK, called upon Government to provide more support for working carers, including the introduction of carer's leave, preferably paid carer's leave.
The charities also called for a recovery and respite plan for unpaid carers to assist in dealing with the impact of Covid-19, which would provide "additional support for carers across a range of areas – including breaks, respite and care services, infection control, identification of carers, financial help, and support to juggle work and care."
Back In September 2021, however, the Government did in fact announce that working carers would receive a new statutory right to 1 week’s unpaid carer's leave. As we reported at the time, it was proposed that this could be used flexibly, with an employee entitled to take from as little as half a day at a time, or to take the whole week at once.
It was anticipated that the new legislation to introduce the new statutory right to 1 week’s unpaid carer's leave would form part of a new Employment Bill, and that the Employment Bill would be included in the 2022 Queen’s Speech. However, ultimately no new Employment Bill was announced in the Queen’s Speech, and nor was the proposed new statutory right to 1 week’s unpaid carer's leave.
Private Members Bill
The absence of the proposed new statutory right to 1 week’s unpaid carer's leave from the Queen's Speech has prompted Liberal Democrat MP, Wendy Chamberlain, to announce that she plans to try to introduce a statutory right to 1 weeks unpaid carer's leave through a Private Members Bill.
Nevertheless, it is extremely rare that Private Members Bills ever succeed in progressing to actual legislation without Government support. Moreover, only the top seven which enter the ballot for Private Members Bills are guaranteed debating time and Wendy Chamberlain's Bill came in 10th. Nevertheless, the Bill, called the Carer's Leave Bill 2022-23, had its 1st Reading on the 15th June 2022, and is scheduled to have its 2nd Reading on the 9th September 2022.
The Chief Executive of Carers UK, Helen Walker, welcomed the Private Members Bill. She stated: "We are really pleased that Wendy Chamberlain MP has decided to focus on the needs of unpaid carers at such a crucial time. As we learn to live with Covid-19 and during the cost of living crisis, there has never been a more important time to ensure that carers are able to juggle work and care. Although the right proposed would be unpaid, it would bring hugely important awareness to the role of unpaid carers within the workplace."
Helen Walker added: "In the longer term, we would like to see Carer's Leave paid but passing this Bill would be a very important step in recognising and supporting carers in employment. We look forward to working closely with Wendy Chamberlain MP to make this Private Member’s Bill a success."
The Government's Position On Carer's Leave
The absence of any proposed legislation to introduce the proposed new statutory right to 1 week’s unpaid carer's leave in the Queen’s Speech prompted the Conservative MP, Dame Caroline Dinenage, to ask the minister for small business, consumers and labour markets, Paul Scully, what the timetable was as regards carers leave.
Dinenage asked: “Informal carers across the country will have been dismayed to hear that legislation to introduce the right to unpaid carer’s leave was not in the Queen’s Speech. It was a 2019 manifesto commitment and is a key pillar of the Government’s adult social care reforms. Will my hon. Friend please let me know when that will be addressed?“
The Minister confirmed that the Government remained committed to introducing the proposed new right to unpaid carers leave. He stated: “It remains a commitment of the Government to support unpaid carers, who do an amazing job in supporting their families and, importantly, supporting the economy and other areas of social care through their work and their commitment to their families. We remain committed to unpaid carer’s leave and indeed will introduce it when parliamentary time allows.“
Given this response, the Government could end up supporting Wendy Chamberlain's Private Members Bill, although it is more likely that if the Government is serious about unpaid carer's leave, that it will form part of the legislative programme for the 2023 Queen's Speech
