HM Treasury have announced that people on paternity and maternity leave who return to work in the coming months will be eligible for the Government’s furlough scheme. To enable the introduction of part-time furloughing, and support those already furloughed back to work, claims from July onwards will be restricted to employers currently using the scheme and previously furloughed employees. This means people must be on the furlough scheme by 10 June. However, HM Treasury have now confirmed that parents on statutory maternity and paternity leave who return to work after a long period of absence will be permitted to be furloughed. This will only apply where they work for an employer who has previously furloughed employees. More details of the change will be included in updated guidance, to be published on 12 June. Note that while the announcement primarily refers to statutory maternity and paternity leave, the ‘Further Information’ section says: “This [also] applies to people on adoption leave, shared parental leave, and parental bereavement leave.”
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