FOI 25-573 Paternity Leave

Freedom of Information Request

Reference
FOI 25-573 Paternity Leave
Request Date
09 Dec 2025
Response Date
16 Dec 2025
Information Requested

1) Your parental leave policies, including paternity leave and pay and maternity leave and pay. If you have different policies for medical and non-medical staff, please include all different policies. 
 
2) In the last three years for which you have data, how many staff members were eligible for paternity leave? 
 
3) In the last three years for which you have data, how many staff members took paternity leave, and for how many weeks on average? 
 
4) In the last three years for which you have data, what was the average salary for staff who were eligible for paternity leave? (If it is not possible to provide this, please provide the average salary for all the trust’s staff instead) 
 
For queries 2 - 4, please provide separate data for medical and non-medical staff, but if this is not possible, please provide combined data for both instead. 

Response

1) Your parental leave policies, including paternity leave and pay and maternity leave and pay. If you have different policies for medical and non-medical staff, please include all different policies. 

The Scottish Ambulance Service follow all parental leave policies as set by NHS Scotland. - Maternity Policy Overview | NHS Scotland,  New Parent Support Policy Overview | NHS Scotland, Parental Leave Policy Overview | NHS Scotland 

 

2) In the last three years for which you have data, how many staff members were eligible for paternity leave 

Under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), public authorities are required to provide access to recorded information that they hold at the time of the request. However, FOISA does not oblige authorities to create new information in order to respond to a request. This means that if the requested information does not exist in a recorded form, the authority is not required to generate, compile, or otherwise create it.  We have applied section 17 of the Freedom of Information Scotland Act 2002, as information not held. To explain the application of this exemption, information on the total number of employees who are eligible for paternity leave is not recorded or collated in a way that would allow us to report on these figures.  All employees are entitled to New Parent Support leave from the first date of employment. 

 

3) In the last three years for which you have data, how many staff members took paternity leave, and for how many weeks on average 

From 01/12/2022 - 30/11/2025 there have been 223 staff took Paternity Leave in SAS. 

 

We are unable to provide accurate figures for the average number of weeks taken by staff.  This is because paternity leave is allocated as a set entitlement (in hours or shifts).  Scottish Ambulance Service staff work rotational patterns and varying shift lengths.  As a result, leave is not always taken in full weeks.  It is for this reason we have applied section 17 of the Freedom of Information Scotland Act 2002 as information not held. 

 

4) In the last three years for which you have data, what was the average salary for staff who were eligible for paternity leave? (If it is not possible to provide this, please provide the average salary for all the trust’s staff instead) 

The Scottish Ambulance Service does not hold a dataset for staff who are eligible for paternity leave and therefore cannot produce the average salary.  The Scottish Ambulance Service does not hold an average salary of all staff; it is for this reason we have applied section 17 of the Freedom of Information Scotland Act 2002 as information not held. 

 

In line with section 15 of FOISA, advice and assistance, we can direct you to our website reports. 

The Scottish Ambulance Service publishes their annual Reports and Accounts for each financial year.  Each report contains information on Staff Report (average FTE) and Notes to the Accounts – Staff costs (wages and salaries). 

 

Important information to consider when interpreting the data 

 

  

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