§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment the Women's Unit has made of the impact of the implementation of the Part-Time Working Directive on the number of part-time jobs in the UK. [50859]
§ Ms RuddockThe Government are keen to promote family-friendly employment policies and the implementation of the Part-time Work Directive will be an important step forward. Many women choose to work part-time in order to balance their work and family responsibilities and this Directive will be particularly important to them as it will remove discrimination and increase the status of part-time work.
We do not consider that implementation of the Directive will result in a loss of jobs; on the contrary, the view of the Government, employers and workers themselves is that it will eliminate obstacles to part-time work and increase opportunities for those wishing to work part-time.
We will be carrying out detailed research into the impact of the proposals and expect to receive the findings later in the year.