Diane Dodds

Under the bill, employees who suffer the loss of a child under the age of 18, or a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy, will have a statutory entitlement to two weeks’ leave and, in most cases, a statutory payment.

A two-month consultation on the Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay Bill closed last August and the Department for the Economy (DfE) published its assessment and response in January.

Speaking after the introduction of the bill, Economy Minister Diane Dodds said: “My aim is that the Assembly passes the required primary and secondary legislation so that parental bereavement leave and pay can be put in place with the minimum of delay.

“This will bring Northern Ireland in line with similar measures in place in Great Britain and provide an important statutory safety net for working parents who suffer such a profound loss.

“I thank my Executive colleagues and the Speaker for agreeing to the bill being introduced, and I appeal to my fellow Assembly members to give their support to the bill.”

The DfE previously confirmed to Irish Legal News that the bill would not extend to couples who have experienced a miscarriage.

In March, MPs in New Zealand approved legislation which will make the country one of few in the world to provide paid leave in the event of miscarriages and stillbirths.

Ginny Andersen, the backbench MP who proposed the bill, said she hoped “other countries will also begin to legislate for a compassionate and fair leave system that recognises the pain and grief that comes from miscarriage and stillbirth”.