Clause 1 - Paternity leave
Employment Bill
5:30 pm
Mr Tony Lloyd (Manchester Central, Labour)
I have a lot of sympathy for the problems that parents face; most of us have been through them. It is obviously desirable for the mother to have her partner around. My hon. Friend the Minister said ''around'' the time of birth, but I am not clear whether we are talking specifically about after the time of birth
or around it. Many of us would like to see the right to consultation on the idea of the norm that a mother could expect a partner to be able to be at the birth. I have much sympathy with the arguments about flexibility and I hope that the Minister can convince the Committee that the norm will be that the mother's partner is able to be at birth. Flexibility would allow parents and employers to enter into consultation. If parents and employer agreed that a more flexible arrangement would be better, that should be allowed for in the wording of the Bill.