§ Mr. Cohenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many employees in his Department in each year since 1979, have been allowed paternity leave under 138W the rules set out in paragraphs 685–688 of the Civil Service pay and conditions of service code; and what was the average number of days allowed.
§ Mr. John PattenThe 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 paragraph 686(a) or (c) when serious complications have occurred in connection with a wife's confinement.
Records kept of special leave for domestic distress do not readily identify the nature of the distress, and details of any such cases could be extracted only at disproportionate cost.