New fathers to get six months' paternity leave

New fathers will be paid to stay at home for the last three months of a woman’s maternity leave if she wants to go back to work.

The plans announced by Government are designed to offer more flexibility in how the leave is used.

Fathers will be paid Government statutory pay of £123 a week for the last three months and would also be entitled to take a further three months unpaid leave, allowing a parent to be with their child for the first year.

The proposal was outlined by Gordon Brown in September who said they were about “giving couples more freedom, dads more rights and children more time with the two people who love them most”.

At present dads are entitled to two weeks’ paid leave and mothers to fifty two, thirty nine of them paid.

The final plans announced yesterday will be introduced from April next year to allow employers time to prepare for the changes.

Business Minister Pat McFadden said: “The Government has transformed the help available to new parents with increased maternity pay and leave and the introduction of paternity leave.

“The balance between work and family life has changed for the better in the past decade and these changes will give parents the chance to share their leave will give families a useful element of flexibility and choice.”

Harriet Harman, Minister for Women and Equality added: “Mothers will be able to choose to transfer the last six months of their maternity leave to the father, with three months paid.

“This gives families radically more choice and flexibility in how they balance work and care of children, and enables fathers to play a bigger part in bringing up their children.

“We’ve doubled maternity leave; doubled maternity pay; introduced paternity leave; more than doubled good quality affordable childcare places; and introduced right to request flexible working.

“This is a further family friendly policy.”

Ministers tried to reassure small businesses that the impact will be minimal, with less than 1 per cent expected to be affected by the changes.

But the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) have written to ministers about what they said was one of eight extra costs due to come in next year.