§ Ms. RichardsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what he estimates as the cost of implementing the draft directive on the protection of pregnant women at work; and what this figure is as a percentage of the national payroll.
§ Mr. ForthIt is estimated that implementing the maternity pay provisions of the draft directive would cost up to £500 million per annum. This would be the equivalent of 0.2 per cent. of the national payroll. It is not yet possible to estimate the cost of the other provisions of the directive because it is not clear how many women would be affected by them, but the additional cost would be considerable.