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New Maternity and Paternity regulations |
Members should be aware of measures and regulations from The Work and Families Bill.
These include:
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extending Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance to nine
months from April 2007 with the ambition of moving to a year by the end
of the Parliament (including extending eligibility for additional
maternity leave);
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a power to introduce new paternity leave for fathers, enabling them to
benefit from leave and statutory pay if the mother returns to work
after six months but before the end of her maternity leave period;
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extending the right to request flexible working to carers from April
2007;
- measures to help businesses manage the administration of
Statutory Maternity Pay, Statutory Paternity Pay and Statutory Adoption
Pay;
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introducing “keeping in touch” days so that where employees and
employers agree, a woman on maternity leave can go into work for a few
days, without losing her right to maternity leave or a week’s statutory
pay;
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extending the period of notice for return from maternity leave to two
months enabling employees and employers to more effectively plan for
return to work;
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making clear in the regulations that employers can make reasonable contact with their employees on maternity leave to help employers plan and ease the mother’s return to work
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