The proposals are designed to give working parents more choice in their caring responsibilities. The new proposals would give fathers the opportunity to take up to 26 weeks additional paternity leave, where certain conditions, including the mother returning to work, are met.
The Government is particularly interested in feedback on:
• Whether the father and mother should be able to self-certify themselves as eligible for the scheme. This would keep the process straightforward for businesses.
• How the scheme would work best in practice.
• Whether checklists and new official forms would provide employers with the confidence to administer the scheme effectively and employees to participate in it.
The government has said that they want to keep the process “as straightforward as possible for both employees and their employers”.
It is worth noting that the government has indicated that the earliest date that additional leave and pay would be implemented would be for babies which are born in April 2009.
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