13/11/2012

New Proposals Reveal Parental Leave Plan

Both parents of a new child will now be able to take advantage of the mother’s maternity leave, under new plans.

From 2015, a fully flexible system of parental leave in England, Scotland and Wales will give women a clearer "route back" to work, ministers have said.

Parents will be able to take time off together or in turns and have a legal right to request flexible working.

Unions welcomed the plans but small businesses warned of their cost.

The coalition government has been looking at ways of extending flexible working and making existing parental leave arrangements work better for both partners and conducted a consultation last year.

Ministers are now promising a new system, to come into effect in 2015, based on "maximum flexibility". In a speech on Tuesday, the deputy prime minister Nick Clegg announced.

• A new mother will be able to trigger flexible leave at any point after the first two weeks' recovery period

• Parents will be able to share the remaining 50 weeks between them as they like

• Leave could be taken in turns, in different blocks, or at the same time

• Maximum leave will remain 12 months, nine of them on guaranteed pay

• Couples will need to be "open" with employers and give them "proper notice"

• Paternity leave to remain at two weeks but to be reviewed in 2018

(H)

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