Plans for Family Friendly Policies Delayed until April 2010

25 July 2007

Government plans to introduce amendments to the Work and Families Act and which aim to increase Maternity Pay [SMP], Maternity Allowance [MA] and Statutory Adoption Pay [SAP] from 39 weeks to to 52 weeks and to introduce Additional Paternity Leave and Pay [APL&P] leave have been put back.

A notable amendment is that in future mothers will be able to pass half of their paid statutory maternity leave to fathers. The right to take additional paternity leave (ADP) will be available to fathers in the second six months of their child’s life. Fathers will be able to take up to 26 weeks APL before the child’s first birthday. If the child’s mother has returned to work and is entitled to further Statutory Maternity Pay that she has not taken then the father will be entitled to additional paternity pay.

Administration of the scheme is still under consideration and has given rise to some debate as it is clearly open to fraud and misuse. The provisions were expected to come into force after April 2009. However, a Notice recently issued states that the plans have been put back by a year. It says that "HMRC has, up to now, been planning on the basis of implementation for babies due on or after April 2009. We will now start planning implementation for babies due on or after April 2010.”

To find out more about Employment Law events go to Events

For more information please contact Amanda Okill, Solicitor.

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