Government sticks by shared parental leave plan

The government is to press ahead with a new system of flexible parental leave, the Deputy Prime Minister announced today.

A consultation on shared parental leave will be launched “in the coming weeks”, Nick Clegg said, with a view to introducing the new arrangements in 2015. This consultation will also look at how best to extend the right to request flexible working to all employees.

In a speech at think tank Demos, the Deputy Prime Minister set out the principles the government wanted the changes to embody. These are:

• “any new arrangement must absolutely maintain women's guaranteed right to time off in the first months after birth, paid as it is now; and we must protect the rights of lone mothers
• the reforms must transform the opportunities for fathers to take time off to care for their children
• it must be possible for mothers and fathers to share part of their leave, splitting it between them, in whatever way suits them best
• the new system must take into account the needs of employers and it must be simple to administer.”

The Additional Paternity Leave regulations agreed by the last government will remain in force as an interim measure. The government said these changes were “a small step in the right direction”, but did not go far enough.

These regulations cover parents of children due on or after 3 April 2011, and mean employed fathers will be given a right to up to six months’ extra leave which can be taken once the mother has returned to work after 20 weeks. In addition, some of the leave may be paid if taken during the mother’s maternity pay period.

The announcement follows a commitment in the coalition agreement to “encouraging shared parenting from the earliest stages of pregnancy – including the promotion of a system of parental leave.”

Nick Clegg said: "Right now, most parents simply do not have flexibility they need. Despite the fact fathers can request flexible working, many feel reluctant to do so. There is still a stigma attached. And, when a child is born, men are still only entitled to a paltry two weeks of paternity leave.

“These rules patronise women and marginalise men. They're based on a view of life in which mothers stay at home and fathers are the only breadwinners.”

Business Secretary Vince Cable said the government wanted to help parents juggle work and family life and create a fairer and more family friendly society.

“We will consult fully with businesses on how best to proceed and we are conscious of the concerns of some companies, particularly SMEs – but I hope they will embrace our plans,” he added. “More and more businesses are appreciating that family friendly workplaces are motivated and productive workplaces.”