Paternity Leave Delayed

Proposals from 2005 relating to paternity leave which would have given fathers 6 months leave have been put on hold by Lord Mandelson's department to help employers in the recession. The proposal was designed to allow mothers and fathers to share a year of parental leave with the mother taking six months leave following by the father's six months leave. It would allow women to get back to work but it was criticised by business groups as being too costly and an "administrative headache".

A spokesman for the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) said plans to introduce the rights this year were now on hold. The spokesman told the Daily Telegraph (http://tinyurl.com/lotfqy): "We have not yet announced a date for extending maternity and paternity rights. We are continuing to review the appropriateness of all new regulations due to come into force in the current economic climate. It is only right that in tough economic times we look afresh at the costs and benefits of new regulations."

But Katherine Rake, director of the women's campaign group Fawcett Society, criticised the delay.

She said: "It looks like Peter Mandelson is undermining the equalities agenda again. He cannot use the recession as an excuse to roll back hard-won commitments to mums and dads."
Under the current legislation, fathers are entitled to just two weeks' paternity leave to be taken just after the baby is born.

In March, the Equality and Human Rights Commission urged the government to offer fathers 90% pay for their initial two weeks of leave at the birth of their child, and for parents to be given four months leave after the mother's initial six months leave, which either parent can take.

Disclaimer: the contents of this blog are not intended form the basis of legal advice. Independent legal advice should be taken from your own solicitor for all cases.