HC Deb 24 January 2000 vol 343 c50W
Mr. Cotter

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimates he has made of the rate of take-up of parental leave if it were(a) paid by employers, (b) paid by the Government and (c) unpaid. [106032]

Mr. Alan Johnson

In the Regulatory Impact Assessment we produced an estimate that for every 700,000 babies born, 100,000 parents will take unpaid parental leave. We have not produced estimates on the rate of take-up of paid parental leave.

Mr. Cotter

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the potential costs of parental leave if it were paid by the Government. [106031]

Mr. Alan Johnson

We have introduced unpaid parental leave as agreed by the European Social Partners and in line with our commitment in the Fairness at Work White Paper. The Regulatory Impact Assessment makes an estimate of the cost of unpaid parental leave. We have not produced an estimate of the potential costs of paid parental leave.