§ 6. Mr. Pikeasked the Paymaster General how many women will lose maternity leave rights under the proposals contained in the White Paper "Building Businesses…not Barriers."
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe White Paper is based on the need to reduce employment costs to industry if we are to increase the prospect of additional jobs for men and women. The White Paper proposals affect the right to return to work after maternity absence, but no women would lose maternity rights for which they have already qualified. It is very difficult to estimate how many expectant mothers would subsequently be affected by any changes.
§ Mr. PikeDoes the Minister accept that if the White Paper proposals are fully implemented, in the future the majority of women will lose their right to maternity benefit? Does he agree that removing rights and protection given to women in the past is an appalling way to proceed in 1986, and is the wrong way for the Government to go?
§ Mr. ClarkeI am not sure what aspect the hon. Gentleman is concerned about. Maternity pay is not affected by our White Paper, although it is affected by changes being made by another Department. With regard to the right to return to work, the difficulty is that for a small firm it is a considerable burden to keep a job open for up to 40 weeks for someone who might exercise the right to return. That is why we made the proposals in the White Paper. It is very difficult to achieve the right balance between the need to protect employees and the need to keep industrial costs down. We believe that the balance needs to be shifted further so that employers are not deterred, for example, from employing young women.
§ Mr. CashWill my right hon. and learned Friend accept our congratulations on publishing the White Paper, which has shown that this country can be properly governed by a Government who are determined to ensure that we put businesses before barriers and that we get rid of unnecessary regulations in line with the requirements of a modern economy?
§ Mr. ClarkeI am grateful to my hon. Friend. My right hon. and noble Friend and I are constantly being invited to make speeches abroad, particularly in western Europe, where the interest in this kind of approach to encouraging jobs in industry is steadily growing and where a number of other Governments are plainly proposing to imitate us.
§ Ms. RichardsonThanks to Government changes in the employment protection laws, is the right hon. and learned Gentleman aware that maternity provision in the United Kingdom will now be more restrictive and maternity benefits the lowest of any EEC country? As this year marks the 10th anniversary of the implementation of the statutory right of women to return to work after child birth, is not the White Paper "Building Businesses…not Barriers" a rotten gift to give to women?
§ Mr. ClarkeI am not sure about the hon. Lady's comparisons, but we already have a higher proportion of women in work and a lower level of unemployment among women than in most other western European countries. Those European countries which on paper have stronger maternity protection than we do have probably reduced the job opportunities for women.