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)
That is why we have introduced the changes so carefully. The same question was raised—not by the hon. Gentleman, but by his predecessor in his shadow post—when we increased the minimum wage to £4.10. Although it was unpopular with Labour supporters before the previous election, we decided that rather than set some mechanistic figure, such as two-thirds of male median earnings, we would set up the Low Pay Commission to consider the matter carefully in the light of particularly vulnerable sectors. We argued that, to paraphrase President Nixon, once the toothpaste is out of the tube, we cannot get it back in again.
We have no intention—neither, I assume, do the Opposition—of introducing basic minimum standards in such a way that they may be jeopardised in future. We intend to introduce them so as not to interfere with this country's economic success. As one employer's organisation suggested, it was ludicrous to suggest, in the seven-day panic post-11 September, that we should not go ahead with the increase in the minimum wage to £4.10 on 1 October. That is a ridiculous way to approach such issues. The best approach is the one that we have taken.
Amendments Nos. 96 and 97 would take the forthcoming regulations out of the realm of certainty and into the realm of near possibility. However, I accept that they were designed to probe our intentions and I am happy to rise to that bait and go through the issues in detail.
I stress that the proposals on paternity and adoption leave are the result of a substantial exercise in public consultation since the publication, well over a year ago, of the Green Paper, ''Work and Parents: Competitiveness and Choice'', and the more detailed framework documents that followed last summer. We consulted as widely as we could and deliberately made no secret of our emerging thinking. I do not say that every detail meets with universal approval—that can never be the case—but every detail was subjected to intense scrutiny. The introduction of adoption rights was the one area that was universally approved. There was not a single dissenting voice against the argument that, in a society in which we need more people to adopt instead of children being in care, it is ludicrous to give absolutely no assistance to adopting parents. Indeed, a Bill to that effect is passing through the House.