§ Mrs. Ann Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many female employees in his Department have been granted maternity leave in each year since 1974; and what was the total duration of such leave in each of those years.
§ Sir Keith JosephThe information requested is as follows:
Year Number of Women Total duration of maternity leave 1974* 2 14 weeks 2 days 1975* 7 107 weeks 4 days 1976* 3 34 weeks 1977* 3 49 weeks 2 days 1978* 7 143 weeks 1 day 1979 15 194 weeks 6 days 1980 21 358 weeks 3 days 1981 17 274 weeks 4 days 1982 17 350 weeks 1983 16 336 weeks * Excluding maternity leave taken by staff who left the Department before 1979, for which records are not available. Maternity leave may in some cases have spanned two years; the figures and duration given relate to the year in which the leave was granted.