Sorry, just looking for the info I used when I was in your situation, here:
Redundancy during maternity leave
Regulation 10 of the Maternity and Parental etc Regulations 1999 is a pregnant woman?s nuclear weapon if she is being dismissed by reason of redundancy while on maternity leave. In short it allows her to jump the queue to obtain any available vacancy that is suitable. It is a form of legal positive discrimination. It is such an important section that we have set it out here in full:
(1) This regulation applies where, during an employee?s ordinary or additional maternity leave period, it is not practicable by reason of redundancy for her employer to continue to employ her under her existing contract of employment.
(2) Where there is a suitable available vacancy, the employee is entitled to be offered (before the end of her employment under her existing contract) alternative employment with her employer or his successor, or an associated employer, under a new contract of employment which complies with paragraph (3) (and takes effect immediately on the ending of her employment under the previous contract).
(3) The new contract of employment must be such that:
(a) the work to be done under it is of a kind which is both suitable in relation to the employee and appropriate for her to do in the circumstances, and
(b) its provisions as to the capacity and place in which she is to be employed, and as to the other terms and conditions of her employment, are not substantially less favourable to her than if she had continued to be employed under the previous contract.
Note this only applies to dismissals by reason of redundancy ? not dismissals for other reasons such as capability or some other substantial reason.