Your article (Tiny proportion of new fathers are opting for shared parental leave, 5 April) was a welcome read. I am a Church of Scotland minister. I applied for shared parental leave (hoping to become one of the 2%-8% in the UK), and my wife and I had made plans accordingly. The church refused on the grounds that the general assembly had not yet voted on the legislation. I am informed that it will vote in May 2016, but that the parental right to shared leave will not be backdated to include me. At least the parish and congregation have been understanding and I am able to work “flexi-time” to try to fit work with parenting responsibilities. It is not quite the same as shared parental leave, but it seems this is the best we can hope for in the church for the time being.
Graham McGeoch (minister)
Broughton St Mary’s parish church, Edinburgh
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