Government unveils plans for overhaul of parental rights

WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Government unveils plans for overhaul of parental rights

A raft of proposals to give more help to new parents, including paid paternity leave, increases in maternity pay and a right to reduced hours after the birth of a child, were announced by government ministers last month.

The plans are contained in a green paper entitled Work and parents: competitiveness and choice , published on 7 December 2000.

Legislative proposals

The green paper sets out a range of options for consultation over the next three months. The main options are these:

  • two weeks' paid paternity leave for fathers

  • extending paid maternity leave to six months

  • lengthening unpaid maternity leave so a woman could stay at home for a year

  • sharing any increase in existing unpaid maternity leave equally between the mother and father

  • increasing the flat rate of maternity pay — currently £ 60.20 a week

  • allowing an adoptive parent — either male or female — to take paid leave when adopting a child

  • increasing the amount of parental leave available to the parents of disabled children, currently 13 weeks.

Flexible working proposals

The government document also includes several options on flexible working either through legislation or incentives to business including:

  • giving mothers who return early from maternity leave the right to work reduced hours for the rest of that time

  • giving fathers the right to work reduced hours until the end of maternity leave

  • allowing both parents the right to opt to work reduced hours for as long as they wish, when the maternity leave period ends

  • giving all employers the right to refuse a request to work reduced hours if it would harm the business

  • exempting employers with a certain number of employees from granting any requests to work reduced hours, except for mothers for a short time.

A final word

Unveiling the document trade and industry secretary Stephen Byers said:

I don't believe we need to make a choice between either helping families or helping businesses. The right policies will not only support parents but also enable business to recruit and retain skilled staff thereby increasing productivity and helping the UK to remain competitive.

Want to know more?

Copies of the green paper, accompanying summary document and the form for responses can be found at www.dti.gov.uk/er/review.htm

The consultation period ends 7 March 2001. Send your responses to:

Review Team, Department of Trade and Industry, 1 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0ET, fax: 020 7215 5450, email: reviewteam@dti.gov.uk