SUPPORTING PARENTS OF PREMATURE BABIES

I am delighted and proud to support the Private Members Bill from my colleague, Stuart McDonald MP which seeks to secure paid employment leave for parents of babies born prematurely or with other serious health challenges.

This Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Bill is needed because no parent should have to choose between being with their sick child or having to go back to work to make a living.

As the cost-of-living soars, this urgent change in the law, must be secured so that parents of babies in neonatal care get the paid leave and support they need at an incredibly challenging time.

If this becomes law, tens of thousands of families with a baby in neonatal care will benefit from extra leave and pay at the time they need it most, including families across North Ayrshire and Arran.