Shared year's maternity leave proposed
15 May 07
Government consults on how to run scheme for six month share for fathers from 2009
The government began a consultation yesterday on proposals put forward last year to allow new mothers and their partners to share equally a 12 month period of maternity leave.
As of April this year, maternity leave was extended to nine months under the Work and Families Act 2006. The government's aim is to have a right to a year's leave in place for babies due after 1 April 2009, and to allow more flexibility for men wishing to share in a baby's upbringing. At present employees can only claim two weeks' paternity leave.
The new right would extend to partners who are not the baby's biological father, and to civil partners. However concerns have been expressed that men will be reluctant to jeopardise career prospects by taking an extended break, and that the proposed paternity pay of £112.75 a week will be unattractive at a time of increased expenditure for the family.
Businesses on the other hand, especially smaller businesses, are fearful of the additional cost and administrative requirements.
The purpose of the current consultation, which runs until 3 August, is to invite practical comments on the preferred administration process and some of the remaining detail of the scheme to ensure that burdens on business are minimised. Draft regulations will be issued in due course in a further exercise.
The consultation can be accessed at http://www.dti.gov.uk/employment/workandfamilies/add-paternity-leave/index.html .