§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps are being taken by her Department to encourage the employment of women returners.
§ Mr. McLoughlinIt is for women themselves to choose whether or not to return to work, but my colleagues and I take every opportunity to encourage employers to adopt working arrangements which allow all parents to balance their employment and family responsibilities. These include flexible hours and holidays, job sharing, career breaks, part-time working and, where appropriate, help with child care. Many employment service and training and enterprise council programmes have inbuilt flexibility which benefits women returners. Our commitment to encouraging more out of school and holiday child care schemes will particularly benefit women who wish to resume work when their children start school.