The Work and Families Bill

As part of its commitment to ensuring that every child has the best possible start in life and to create more choice for parents, the government has introduced the Work and Families Bill. The Bill includes proposals to:

extend statutory maternity pay, maternity allowance and statutory adoption pay from six to nine months from 1 April 2007. The aim is to move to 12 months entitlement by the end of this parliament, including extending eligibility for additional maternity leave
introduce new paternity leave for fathers, enabling them to benefit from leave and statutory pay if the mother returns to work after six months but before the end of her maternity leave period

Up to three months paternity leave with statutory paternity pay, up from the current two weeks, is not intended to be a general entitlement. Instead, it will be a transfer out of the mother’s extended statutory maternity pay entitlement and will only be available after she has returned to work.

extend the right to request flexible working to carers from April 2007
introduce ‘keeping in touch’ days, so that where employees and employers agree, a woman on maternity leave can go into work for a few days without losing her right to maternity leave or a week’s statutory maternity pay or maternity allowance. This would also apply to adoption leave and pay
extend the period of notice for return from maternity and adoption leave from 28 days to two months
make clear that employers can make reasonable contact with their employees on maternity or adoption leave, to help employers plan the employee’s return to work.

The Bill also includes an enabling power to prevent bank holidays from being included in annual leave entitlement.

We will keep you informed of the changes emerging from the Bill.