Employment Bill
4:30 pm
Mr Alan Johnson (Minister of State (Employment and the Regions), Department of Trade and Industry; Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle, Labour)
Further to the point of order, Mr. Benton. It may be pushing it to table the new clauses by the end of this week, but I accept the point made by the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond) that plenty of notice is required, particularly concerning the right to request flexible working and to have that request considered seriously. I shall do my best to circulate the new clauses to the Committee well in advance of our debate, but I shall have to take soundings on whether I can do so by the end of this week. I fully accept the general spirit of the hon. Gentleman's comments and will do my best to circulate them as soon as possible so that the Committee has time to consult on and consider them.Clause 1 Paternity leave