The Government announced on 29th May that the current furlough scheme would remain open to new entrants up to and including 10th June. After this date, if an employee was not already furloughed, or had not been previously, then they would not be eligible for furlough moving forward. It also clarified that the scheme rules would change from July onwards and it would become a flexible furlough scheme, meaning that an employee would be able to undertake part time work alongside being furloughed.
The 10th June deadline was a key date because it would allow for new entrants to be furloughed for the minimum 3-week duration which forms part of the current scheme rules. Thus, allowing them to achieve this before the current scheme ends and the new flexible furlough scheme commences from the 1st July.
However the consequence of the 10th June deadline was that thousands of working parents who are on a period of statutory leave, such as maternity/adoption and paternity, and who were due back in the coming months, would not be given the same opportunity to be furloughed and therefore would miss out.
The Government have now clarified this position by confirming that those who are due to return to work from a period of maternity/adoption or paternity leave in the coming months will still be eligible for furlough after 10th June.
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