Parental Leave Deferred - 03/02/2012
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has confirmed that the increase in unpaid parental leave from the current 13 weeks to 18 weeks will not be implemented by March 2012.
The amended EU Parental Leave Directive increases the minimum parental leave provision from three to four months. Although EU Member States should implement the Directive by 8 March 2012, Member States can take an extra year for implementation if this is necessary "to take account of particular difficulties" in implementation. BIS has said that it will utilise the additional year's grace and will implement the changes in March 2013, rather than March 2012. It has stated this is due to the ongoing 'modern workplaces' policy development.
The increase in unpaid parental leave from 13 weeks to 18 weeks will still be implemented ahead of the other proposed changes to family-related leave, which are expected to come into force from 2015.