Debate contribution: Miscarriage: Statutory Paid Leave
Debate contribution by Dr Caoimhe Archibald on .
- MLA
- Dr Caoimhe Archibald
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 27 January 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Miscarriage: Statutory Paid Leave
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5345225
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I thank the Member for her question. I can confirm that, yes, it will be a day-1 entitlement. Alongside those regulations, I am bringing forward other regulations that will ensure that statutory parental bereavement pay, including any claim made under the new entitlement for miscarriage, will be available from day 1 of employment for all workers and employees who meet the earnings threshold. To support that, I am introducing a new approach that will allow entitlement to be based on actual earnings and, where needed, unexpected earnings, using reasonable assumptions, so that individuals can demonstrate that they meet the lower earnings limit even at the earliest stages of employment, which is another key commitment, and one that the Assembly agreed in 2021. My officials have been working really closely with HMRC to deliver the necessary system changes to support the new model and to ensure that those will be in place and fully operational from 6 April 2026. Importantly, the enhancement will benefit all those who are entitled to statutory parental bereavement pay, not solely those who qualify under the new miscarriage provisions. The regulations that enable that element are separate and will be laid, as I said, in accordance with the powers that are required to make them.
209 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.68).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.68 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.70 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.24 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.05 |
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:21 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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