Employment Bill
4:30 pm
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
I am grateful to the Minister for clarifying the start date, as the purpose of the amendment was to probe the Minister on that. I suggested 20 days; he assured me that the Government intend 14 days. The pair of us would have been hopeless in the first world war, because neither of us is prepared to die in a ditch over small arguments. I certainly shall not do so for the sake of six days.
In respect of how leave is to be taken, I accept the Minister's argument that the Bill reflects maternity leave provision and that adoption leave will in practice represent only a tiny percentage of maternity and adoption leave cases. If I were in his seat, I too would argue plausibly that it was inappropriate to reopen discussion.
If I have understood the Bill correctly, it is possible for an employee, without the agreement of the employer, to duck in and out of work at any time during the adoption leave period. That is rather unsatisfactory. However, even if the Minister, in a moment of madness, were to say to me, ''Yes, I agree—we'll change the provision in respect of adoption leave'', it would not take us much further forward, because the greater issue is maternity leave. I have no idea whether there will be a problem in practice.
I am grateful to the Minister for clarifying matters, and I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.
Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.