20 July 2006
NEW LAW GIVES MORE FLEXIBILITY TO CARERS AND WORKING PARENTS
Working families will soon enjoy greater flexibility to manage their professional and private lives.
Made on 19 July 2006 at Westminster, the Work and Families (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 gives new parents enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave rights.
Commenting on the new measures, Maria Eagle, Minister for Employment and Learning said: "This legislation provides additional support for working families who face the challenge of balancing home commitments with the demands of work.
"Not only will new mothers have the choice of taking up to nine months' paid maternity leave but we plan to give fathers a new right to take leave later in the child's first year."
The new regulations will provide adopters with similar rights.
Employees with caring responsibilities at home will also benefit by being able to ask their employer for flexible working arrangements, to help them accommodate the demands of their caring role. The right will operate in a similar way to the existing right for parents of young or disabled children to request flexible working hours.
The Minister explained that the new law also contains something for employers:
"The package includes measures to help businesses manage the administration of Statutory Maternity, Paternity and Adoption Pay and to allow them to plan ahead more effectively for employees' return to work."
The Work and Families (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 will introduce the following rights from April 2007:
Under the new legislation businesses will benefit from:
- Nine months' Statutory Maternity Pay, Statutory Adoption Pay and Maternity Allowance, with the ambition to increase this to a year's paid leave by 2010;
- a new right to an additional period of paternity leave for fathers. This will be introduced at the time Statutory Maternity Pay, Adoption Pay and Maternity Allowance is increased to 12 months. This will enable them to benefit from leave and statutory pay if the mother returns to work after six months but before the end of her maternity leave period;
- the introduction of 'Keeping in Touch' days so that, where employees and employers agree, a woman on maternity leave can go into work for a few days without losing her right to maternity leave or a week's statutory pay; and
- Carers will benefit from a new right to request flexible working.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
- measures to help them better manage the administration of Statutory Maternity Pay, Statutory Paternity Pay and Statutory Adoption Pay;
- a two month notice period for women changing their return to work dates from maternity leave. This will allow employees and employers to plan more effectively for return to work; and
- clarity that employers can make reasonable contact with their employees on maternity leave to help them with planning and easing the mother's return to work.
1. The Work and Families (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 was made on 19 July 2006.
2. Further details on the Work and Families package, including details of public consultation, can be found at www.delni.gov.uk/workandfamilies
3. Previous family friendly measures include new paid paternity leave, extended maternity leave, increased maternity pay and a new right to request flexible working for parents of children under six and disabled children under 18.
4. Consultation on regulations introducing maternity and adoption leave, pay measures and the right to request flexible working as a result of this Order closed on 30 June 2006. The final regulations will be published shortly.
5. The Order introduces a power to increase workers' holiday entitlement. The Department plans to undertake public consultation on this over the coming weeks.
6. Media enquiries to the Department for Employment and Learning Press Office on 028 9025 7872.
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