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Paternity leave consultation closes

A consultation exploring options for extending paternity leave rights for fathers, which could increase by up to six months, closes on 20 November 2009.

The consultation led by the Department for Business Skills and Innovation asks respondents to give their views on allowing fathers up to six months’ extra paternity leave after the mother has returned to work. It seeks employer’s opinions on whether the proposals would be simple and easy to implement.

Among the proposals under consultation, the document includes a partial impact assessment of additional paternity leave and pay, setting out the Government's analysis of the benefits and costs of the new provision.

The proposals up for debate would allow fathers to take extended leave which would be available during the second six months of the child’s life. If the plan is given the go-ahead, provisions would be made available for all babies born after 3 April 2011, one year later than originally planned.

But organisations such as the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development continue to be concerned that the extra year's preparation time for new paternity rights would do little to enable businesses to deal with extra paternal leave requests when they occurred.

Employers can view and participate in the consultation before it is debated in Parliament here.
http://www.berr.gov.uk/consultations/page39405.html

20/11/09