HC Deb 10 April 2002 vol 383 c112W
Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the(a)financial costs and (b)benefits to her Department of the Parental Leave Directive. [42490]

Mr. Ivan Lewis

Staff in the Department can take 13 weeks parental leave, or 18 weeks in the case of a disabled child. As parental leave is unpaid, there has been no direct financial cost to the Department.

Parental leave and other flexible working policies help to enable the Department to get the most from staff with a wide range of responsibilities outside work.