Clause 4 - Statutory adoption pay
Employment Bill
4:45 pm
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
I think that the Minister is telling us that ''ceased to work'' does not refer to someone who has ceased to work altogether, but to someone who is on adoption leave. That person has not ceased to be employed, but is not actually working. If the Minister, following the review that the hon. Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd) has encouraged him to get going, eventually wants to change the definitions from ''employees'' to ''workers'', a person will not cease to be a worker but will have ceased to work. What the Minister is saying, in a nutshell, is that the provision is intended to mirror precisely the statutory maternity provisions. In that case, it is understandable, if still confusing in its language.