§ Mr. Alan SimpsonTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimates she has made of the numbers of people in one year who would be eligible for parental leave from their employer and of the average duration of such leave taken at any one time. [2968]
§ Mr. Ian McCartneyResearch shows that many companies offer some form of parental leave to their employees, but we do not know how many people are covered by such arrangements in any one year or the average length of leave taken.
The Government intends to accept the Social Chapter including the Parental Leave Directive, which entitles employees to a minimum of three months' unpaid parental leave. The precise effects of the directive will depend on how it is implemented and we are not yet able to give estimates of the kind requested.