Shared parental leave 'needed as soon as possible' to tackle population challenges

Committee to submit 15 recommendations to rebalance Island's population

Shared parental leave is much needed, and should be brought in on the Isle of Man as soon as possible.

That's the finding of a Tynwald committee looking at ways to rebalance the Island's population.

The panel will ask Tynwald to approve 15 recommendations to tackle the Island's population challenges.

Among them is a call for shared parental leave to be introduced as soon as practical, allowing new parents to decide how they split their time off work after a birth.

More support for families features throughout the committee's report, with other recommendations including an extension to pre-school credit, changes to child benefit and a review of maternity allowances.

The committee also examined how the night-time economy could be impacting the Island's ability to attract younger residents, describing it as a 'missing piece in the puzzle'.

Tynwald will be asked to recognise the importance of the night-time economy, and back calls to develop schemes to address gaps in the Island's lifestyle offering.

Other ideas put forward by the committee include developing a population policy by the end of the year, the introduction of a wellbeing of future generations bill and modernising employment legislation.

Chair of the committee Dr Michelle Haywood will present the report and ask for the recommendations to be approved when Tynwald sits next month.