Circular 013/2013: maternity pay, adoption pay and parental leave
Home Office circular 013 / 2013 setting out arrangements for maternity pay, adoption pay, parental leave, and clarifying pay on promotion and travelling time.
Documents
Details
- from: CPG - Policing Directorate
- unit: PWEU
- broad subject: police service
- sub category: police pay and conditions
- issue date: 14 November 2013
- date for implementation: 15 November 2013
- addressed to: Chief Officers of England and Wales
- copies are being sent to: Chief Officers of England and Wales Police and Crime Commissioners
- for more information contact: Harriet Bradley 020 7035 5590
Maternity pay
In 2012, maternity pay provisions were increased from 13 weeks to 18, with female officers given the option of extending their final five weeks pay to ten weeks at half rate. This caused unforeseen consequences where an officer extending her maternity pay received a lower overall amount of statutory maternity pay. This amendment aims to resolve this so that no officer will be adversely affected by the option they choose. The changes are reflected in the attached amendments so that half statutory maternity pay will be received between weeks 14 and 23, for those women who elect to spread their final five weeks of maternity pay.
Adoption leave
Adoption leave entitlement will now replicate maternity leave, so an officer is now entitled to 18 weeks adoption leave and has the option of extending pay from weeks 14 to 18, to half pay from weeks 14 to 23.
Parental leave
Parental leave entitlement is now increased from 13 to 18 weeks for police officers, in line with other workforces. This provides each parent of a child under the age of five the right to take up to 18 weeks unpaid parental leave before the child’s fifth birthday, or the fifth anniversary of their placement for adoption.
Pay on promotion
Changes agreed in the Police Negotiating Board on pay on promotion, set out in Home Office circular 15/2008, incorrectly stated a start date of 1 February 2012. The attached determinations correct this issue and clarify the changes are effective from 1 May 2008, in line with the PNB agreement
Travelling time for officers on mutual aid
In Home Office circular 10/2012, it stated that arrangements had been changed for officers serving away from their normal place of duty (including on ‘mutual aid’ in another force area) and that officers on mutual aid should now be paid in accordance with the determinations for the hours they work including, where applicable, overtime and travelling time.
This Home Office circular clarifies that travel time should be paid when travelling from an officer’s normal place of duty to the area they will be working in and this is now reflected in the attached amendments to the determinations.