Oral Reply to Parliamentary Question on unpaid leave for parents with multiple or pre-term babies

Parliamentary Sitting: 22 Feb 2023

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Prime Minister (a) what is the number and percentage of public service agencies that provide unpaid leave for parents with multiple or pre-term babies; (b) what is the take-up rate of such leave for each year in the past five years; and (c) if data on the take-up rate has not been collected, whether the Prime Minister’s Office will start collecting this data.

Oral Reply by Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Education and Minister-in-charge of the Public Service:

In line with the Tripartite Standard on Unpaid Leave for Unexpected Care Needs, all Ministries and Statutory Boards provide for officers with a child who is born pre-term, or as part of multiple births, or with medical conditions, to apply up to four weeks of unpaid leave per year, before their children turn two.

In the past 5 years, an average of 25 officers in the Civil Service utilised this leave provision each year.