Clause 1 - Paternity leave
Employment Bill
4:45 pm
Mr Alan Johnson (Minister of State (Employment and the Regions), Department of Trade and Industry; Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle, Labour)
My hon. Friend is right, and we shall touch on that issue when we discuss further amendments.
A majority of people have said that adoption leave is long overdue, and the introduction of paternity rights has received similarly wide support. We should remember that that was not simply a manifesto commitment but was announced in last year's Budget, and we fought the general election on that basis. It is true that concerns have been expressed about the detail, and we must ensure that the way in which the provision is implemented does not impose undue burdens on business. We will discuss the relevant details in due course, but I reiterate that there was little, if any, straightforward hostility to the general concept. That does not surprise me. I believe that most people, including most employers, now recognise the key role that fathers have to play in caring for newborn children.
As I have said, such concerns as have been expressed relate to detail, and that is why my Department has engaged in close discussion with employers and employees. Detailed proposals were included in last November's framework document—our response to the Green Paper ''Work and Parents: Competitiveness and Choice''—which has been reproduced in the Library's excellent research paper on the Bill. The way in which we intend to frame the regulations is no secret, and we have consulted fully. The detail is included in the Government's published response and elsewhere, and I should be happy to clarify specific issues as we consider the clauses and amendments. It is important, however, for all interested parties to have the chance to comment on draft regulations before they are finalised, and I am happy to confirm that we will consult publicly on drafting before the regulations are laid. I expect the consultation exercise to begin before the Bill completes its legislative passage.
The issues with which amendments Nos. 96 and 97 seek to deal are addressed in various ways. We have used the word ''shall'' because, for example, we will introduce the requirement that the duration of employment must be 26 weeks by the fifteenth week prior to expected date of birth. We have explained the situation in respect of parenting, but the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge none the less raises an interesting point. We are not talking simply about biological fathers; in many cases the woman giving birth has a new partner, who has a role to play in terms of parental responsibility. The principle of parental responsibility has been used before in the introduction of parental leave, and we intend to include it in these provisions. The issues have been highlighted in various documents.