Plans to extend paternity leave ‘put on hold’

Plans to give fathers extended paternity leave are to be delayed to help employers during the recession, it has been revealed.

Proposals announced in 2005 would see parents afforded the right to share a year of parental leave to care for their newborn child, with fathers allowed to take six months off after the mother’s first six months of leave.

However the changes, which were scheduled to be introduced later this year, have now been suspended and no alternative implementation date has yet been agreed.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform said: ‘It is only right that in the current economic climate we look afresh at the costs and terms of the new regulations with the caveat of regulatory burden.’

The decision has been welcomed by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). ‘What would have been cumbersome in good times could become the straw that breaks the camel’s back in a recession – and could damage the long-term business case for better work-life balance,’ commented CIPD adviser, Mike Emmott.

He added: ‘The recession-inspired shelving of the existing proposals must be used by politicians and business leaders to come up with workable proposals that balance competing demands in a way that works for business.’

The current rules entitle fathers to two weeks’ paternity leave to be taken shortly after the baby is born.