§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate she has made of the(a) financial costs and (b) benefits to her Department of the Parental Leave Directive. [42487]
§ Mrs. LiddellThe Scotland Office was established in its present form on 1 July 1999. To date there have been no applications for parental leave in the department.
My department is committed to helping its staff achieve a better balance between their home, family obligations and their work. Parental leave can play an important part in achieving this. We believe it will lead to greater commitment and morale among staff with families and to help reduce staff turnover.