A FORMER Dorset MP is campaigning for parents to be given the right to time off work to deal with the loss of a child.

Lord Knight of Weymouth – who was the Labour MP for South Dorset until the last election – says many people would be surprised that there is no automatic entitlement to bereavement leave for parents.

The law says staff should be given “reasonable” unpaid leave to deal with family emergencies. It says that in most cases, one or two days should be sufficient.

Lord Knight told the House of Lords: “Clearly the bereavement of a child is a problem that would need more than one or two days.

“Everyone’s grief is different, so quantifying this is slightly challenging, but I contend that we need to give everyone some certainty that they are entitled to a minimum amount of leave on a paid basis.

“In my mind, that is two weeks.”

He has taken up a campaign by mum Lucy Herd, whose son Jack died in the family’s garden pond in Cumbria. Her husband had been working in Australia and was told he was needed back at work there within a week.

Another mother signing an e-petition on the issue said she had been given only six days’ compassionate leave by the NHS when her six-year-old daughter died.

In another example an NHS worker has told of being given a written notice from her personnel department after she took four weeks of sick leave to deal with the death of her daughter.

David Cameron has pledged to look into the issue after being asked about it at Prime Minister’s questions.

He took two weeks’ bereavement leave following the death of his son Ivan at the age of six in 2009.

Lord Knight moved an amendment to the Children and Families Bill in the House of Lords.

Viscount Younger of Leckie, parliamentary under-secretary at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, said the majority of employers responded with compassion.

He added: “For some people, returning to work immediately after a death is a distraction from difficulties at home.

“Others may need time off at a later date. Parents are best placed to understand their individual needs, and good employers will respond to requests made by their employees in the most appropriate and sensitive way. It would not be possible to legislate to accommodate the varied needs of individuals.”

He said the government was developing new guidance for employers in forming policies.