Maternity leave changes among policies under review

Changes to the maternity leave system proposed by the previous government are to be reviewed by the business secretary Vince Cable, as he looks to overhaul "excessive" employment regulation.

Mr Cable announced this morning (June 3rd) that £19 billion worth of regulations currently in the pipeline would be reviewed individually.

One of these policies relates to maternity leave, with the proposed legislation allowing fathers to take up to six months of the mother''s time off after giving birth.

The business secretary also proposed a "one in, one out" policy for regulation and vowed to cut the costs to the private sector from any new legislation.

"The deluge of new regulations has been choking off enterprise for too long. We must move away from the view that the only way to solve problems is to regulate," he said.

Statutory maternity pay in the UK lasts for 39 weeks, with the total time entitlement set at 52 weeks. Some employers may offer their own maternity schemes as part of their employee benefits package.
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