Financial News
- 12 October 2012, 15:48
New Fathers 'To Get Months Of Parental Leave'
Fathers will be able to take most of the first year of a baby's life off work if the mother goes back to work under new coalition proposals, it has been reported.
If a mother is the main breadwinner, she will be able to go back to work after two weeks and the father can claim under "flexible parental leave".
Implementation of the scheme will not take place until October 2015 following a disagreement in the Cabinet over its impact on businesses, according to the Daily Telegraph.
A Government source told the paper: "This is being introduced slowly and with great care to ensure that it does not undermine business during the difficult economic times.
"But it was a coalition pledge and it is important to both the Prime Minister and the Liberal Democrats that both parents should be supported to spend time with their new children."
Under the current system, mothers are legally entitled to 90% of their earnings for the first six weeks after birth.
They can then receive a maternity allowance - equivalent to either 90% of earnings or £135.45 a week, whichever is the lowest - for an additional 33 weeks.
Fathers are entitled to two weeks of paternity leave and mothers can transfer their leave to their partners after the first six months.
Some employers offer more generous terms.
The new system will mean that either the mother or father can claim parental leave and the allowance after two weeks.
The source added: "This has taken a long time to develop as the system has to be robust enough to prevent fraud, with both parents claiming.
"It was decided to keep the current default system of assistance being given to women.
"There are also other safeguards to prevent vulnerable mothers, or those in families which do not function well, from losing their entitlements. Absent fathers will not benefit."
what do you think?
Jeffrey Gwynn
Quite right, blue side. It's polititions who have come up with this drivel. Most of 'em wouldn't recognise a proper days work if it slapped them in the face like a wet kipper!
Stuart Harley
.........AND WHO IS PAYING FOR THIS ??????? ITS NOT THOUGHT OUT, WHO IS GOING TO PAY ???????????
Chris Carr
presumably the employer
Gordon Berry
If I took all that time off work I would be concerned that if the company could do without me for that sort of time perhaps my job was not really important. This is socialism gone mad. Who pays? We do at the tills
blue side
8:11am on 12/10/2012
Maybe I am missing something but can someone explain how a small company could afford the reduction in manpower even larger companies might find the cost excessive as these could be people with expertise and experience. It is obvious those who come up with this rubbish have never run a business or been in business and they wonder why we are in trouble
Chris Carr
9:31am on 12/10/2012
Quite. How is the country ever going to encourage enterprise and small business owners taking on more staff when they have to let them all have years off when they have children. Absolutely ridiculous.
Ben Ralph
11:14am on 12/10/2012
What you're all missing is that A) the vast majority of people can't afford to take weeks of leave so for millions of people this legislation is meaningless and B) we need to be encouraging British nationals to breed. Someone has to pay the bills!