§ Mr. Cohenasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employees in his Department in each year since 1979, have been allowed paternity leave under the rules set out in paragraphs 685–688 of the Civil Service pay and conditions of service code; and what was the average umber of days allowed.
§ Mr. HayhoeThe code paragraphs quoted deal with the granting of special leave for domestic distress. There is no provision in the code for paternity leave as such.
In certain circumstances, special leave for domestic distress may be granted to male staff under code paragraphs 686 (a) or (c) when serious complications have occurred in connection with a wife's confinement. In such cases since 1981—earlier figures are not available—the table sets out the number of staff and periods involved.
1981 1982 1983 Number of staff 3 3 3 Average period allowed (in days) 3 5 2½