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Question follow-through · 7911

Ministry of Defence: Paternity Leave

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average length of paternity leave taken by staff in (a) his Department and (b) the armed forces was in each of the last three years.

answeredMinistry of Defence

About this written question

A written question asks a government minister for information in writing. Parliament publishes the question and any answer.

Answering body
Ministry of Defence
Tabled
8 Oct 2024
Target answer date
10 Oct 2024
Answer
16 Oct 2024 · 8 calendar days after tabling

Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.

More questions by this MP on Defence and foreign affairs

Shared topic keywords suggest a connection; they do not establish a follow-up.

Votes on this topic

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Recorded timeline

  1. 8 Oct 2024

    Question tabled

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average length of paternity leave taken by staff in (a) his Department and (b) the armed forces was in each of the last three years.

  2. 10 Oct 2024

    Target answer date

    Date supplied by the official written-questions record.

  3. 16 Oct 2024

    Answer published

    Our records show that between 2021 and October 2024, Ministry of Defence employees have taken paternity leave for the birth or adoption of a child. The average working days taken (AWDT) for civilian and military personnel is shown in the tables below. Cal...

Open official record

Official data retrieved 27 Sept 2026.

Later records

Possible follow-up questions

Strong links require the same MP, department and exact heading. Other same-department questions are shown as unreviewed candidates, not as confirmed follow-ups. No debate link is asserted unless a stable source relationship exists.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Ministry of Defence: Paternity Pay

6 Dec 2024 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department paid in paternity pay to (a) civilian and (b) military staff in each of the last five years; and to how many fathers.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Armed Forces: Discharges

6 Dec 2024 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people left the armed forces in each of the last five years, and what information his Department holds on the different types of departure.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Armed Forces: Discharges

6 Dec 2024 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the reasons why staff leave the armed forces; and what the most common reasons are.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Armed Forces: Recruitment

6 Dec 2024 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has conducted qualitative research into recruitment barriers in the Armed Forces.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Armed Forces: Separated People

9 Dec 2024 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support Armed Forces personnel with children when there is a breakdown in family arrangements.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Armed Forces: Working Conditions

9 Dec 2024 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of working conditions in the Armed Forces on the (a) mental health and (b) familial relations of Armed Forces personnel.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Reserve Forces: Older People

2 Jun 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many reservists are aged between 55 and 60; and how many will be 60 in the next 12 months.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Reserve Forces: Retirement

2 Jun 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of raising the retirement age of reservists from 60 to 65.