Additional Paternity Leave and Pay
The Work and Families Act 2006 included scope to give working fathers and partners of new mothers a new right to up to 26 weeks additional paternity leave, with the aim of introducing this alongside the extension of Statutory Maternity Pay, Adoption Pay and Maternity Allowance to 12 months.
This will give them leave and statutory pay if the mother returns to work after six months but before the end of her maternity leave and pay period, providing parents with the option of dividing a period of paid leave entitlement between them. The Government's consultation on how Additional Paternity Leave and Pay should be administered closed on 3 August 2007.
A date for extending maternity and paternity rights has not yet been announced.
Administration of Additional Paternity Leave and Pay - a consultation