Additional
Paid Paternity Leave
The rules for maternity pay and leave are complex
and things may be set to become more complicated
for employers and more generous for employees.
At present mothers who meet pay and length of
service criteria will be entitled to a year off
work, nine months of which is paid Statutory Maternity
Pay (SMP). For most women all but the first six
weeks of their SMP is paid at £112.75 a week.
The government propose to increase the payment
period for SMP to a year, to match the leave period,
and allow six months of this pay and leave to be
transferred from the mother to the father as Additional
Paternity Leave (APL) and pay.
The government has opened further consultation
on the introduction of APL and pay for fathers.
The consultation deals with some of the practical
aspects of the scheme’s administration including:
- the notification by the father and mother
to the father’s employer that he intends
to take APL and pay (notification will not be made
to the mother’s employer)
- the form of the notice and the notice
period required, and
- the procedures where the mother and father’s
circumstances change and they want to amend the
proposed leave dates.
The government has stated
its intention to keep the APL and pay scheme
as straightforward as possible for employers
and employees.
The government’s goal is to bring in APL
and pay at the same time as extending SMP from
39 weeks to 52 weeks which they hope to achieve
by the end of this parliament. This will mean that
both parents could choose to take an equal amount
of paid leave. The earliest proposed date that
APL and pay will be implemented will be for babies
due on or after 5 April 2009.
To have your say in the consultation or read more
about the proposals visit the link below.
Internet link:
DTI consultation |
