Member

Before winding up, I will address some other amendments. I will take this opportunity to note the amendments tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for Luton North (Sarah Owen). I am grateful to her Women and Equalities Committee for raising the important issue of miscarriage leave. The loss of a baby at any stage is an incredibly difficult and personal experience. The Committee’s inquiry demonstrated a clear gap in support for those who experience pregnancy loss and need time to recover and grieve. I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for showing great courage in talking about her personal experience of that. I am grateful to her and to other hon. Members and campaigners for speaking about that issue—we have heard them. We fully accept the principle of bereavement leave for pregnancy loss, as addressed by the amendments. We look forward to further discussions with my hon. Friend and noble Lords as the Bill moves on to its stages in the other place. Bereavement is not an illness or a holiday, and it needs its own special category.