QUEEN’S SPEECH CONFIRMS FLEXIBLE PARENTAL LEAVE
9 May 2012
Among the measures announced by the Queen was the commitment to make parental leave more flexible so both parents may share parenting responsibilities.
You may remember the consultation on Modern Workplaces that we surveyed members about last summer. This included the introduction of a system of flexible parental leave where the mother's maternity leave could be shared between both parents. We are waiting for the publication of further consultation documents this year. The Queen’s speech also mentioned plans to bring forward measures to modernise the pension system and reform the state pension, creating a fair, simple and sustainable foundation for private saving. Legislation will also be introduced to reform public service pensions in line with the recommendations of the independent commission on public service pensions.
A bill will be introduced to reduce burdens on charities, enabling them to claim additional payments on small donations.
And the courts and tribunals service will be reformed to increase efficiency, transparency and judicial diversity.
For further information the BBC news have published a summary of the speech, bill by bill.
BBC News Queen's Speech 2012: Bill-by-bill
The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) has also confirmed in a press release today that they will be jointly introducing, with the Department for Education, a Bill for shared parental leave and flexible working.
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES BILL PUBLISHED
5 February 2013
The Children and Families Bill has been published today and includes reforms needed to allow parents to ‘mix and match’ how they share maternity leave.
Reported on GOV.UK the government aims for these new reforms to replace the existing system of parental leave, with one that offers greater flexibility for the parents to fully share their parenting responsibilities as well as improve their link to the workplace during this period. Shared Parental Leave and summarises that:
Under the new system:
Employed mothers will still be entitled to 52 weeks of maternity leave as a day one right Mothers can choose to end their maternity leave after the initial two week recovery period; working parents can then decide how they want to share the remaining leave Fathers will gain a new right to take unpaid leave to attend two antenatal appointments There will be new statutory payment for parents on shared parental leave with the same qualifying requirements that currently apply to statutory maternity and paternity pay
CIPP Policy News Journal
12/04/2013, Page 344 of 362
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