Dame Caroline Dinenage, Member of Parliament for Gosport, has welcomed the introduction of new caring rights.
The Carer’s Leave Act 2023, which comes into force today [Saturday 6 April], introduces up to a week of unpaid leave for anyone with caring duty towards a dependent with a long term care need.
Carer’s Leave is a “day one right”, meaning that it is available from the first day of employment, and can be taken flexibly (in half or full days) for planned and foreseen caring commitments. Most importantly, the Act provides the same employment protections to employees as other forms of family-related leave, including protection from dismissal.
One in seven people in the workplace in the UK are juggling work and care, made difficult due to the toll a caring responsibility can take on a carer. Carers UK estimates that, pre-pandemic, 600 people a day on average were leaving work to care for a close friend or loved one.
As Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Carers, Caroline was instrumental in supporting the Bill as it progressed through the House of Commons.
The Group brings together Parliamentarians from across the political spectrum, alongside policy and practice experts, to raise awareness, to share knowledge, and improve understanding of the needs of unpaid carers in parliament. Cross party support was vital in ensuring the Bill, a Private Member’s Bill brought forward by Wendy Chamberlain MP, cleared the Commons in February 2023.
Speaking ahead of the Act coming into force, Caroline said:
“There are 5.7 million people across the UK selflessly providing care for their loved ones and relatives and I am delighted that from today those of them balancing care and employment have new rights.
“The importance of a right to a week’s unpaid leave cannot be understated. It’s a win-win for both carers and employers, which will improve staff retention and give unpaid carers the confidence to go into work knowing that they will not be penalised should an unforeseen emergency occur.
“I know from my constituency work, role as Chair of the Carers APPG, and former ministerial duties, how popular this new legislation will be with the nearly two-and-a-half million unpaid carers in employment in the UK.”
