Work and Families Bill

moved Amendment No. 14:"After Clause 11, insert the following new clause—" ““AMENDMENT OF MATERNITY AND PARENTAL LEAVE ETC REGULATIONS 1999 (1)   The Maternity and Parental Leave etc Regulations 1999 (S.I. 1999/3312) shall be amended as follows. (2)   In regulation 4 (entitlement to ordinary maternity leave)— (a)   in paragraph (1) after ““ordinary”” insert ““and additional””; (b)   for paragraph (1A) substitute— ““(1A)   An employee who has notified her employer under paragraph (1)(a)(iii) of the date on which she intends her ordinary maternity leave to start may subsequently vary that date provided that she notifies her employer of the variation at least— (i)   56 days before the date varied, or (ii)   56 days before the new date,    whichever is the earlier, or if that is not reasonably practicable, as soon as is reasonably practicable.”” (3)   Omit regulation 5.”” The noble Baroness said: The new clause elegantly combines two amendments that were tabled in the other place by my honourable friend Eleanor Laing. It is supported by the CBI, which we are grateful to for its help. The aim of the new clause is to discuss the reasonable balance that needs to be struck between family supportive measures and business liability. We are completely aware of the commitments given in another place on the issues relating to the two amendments when they were debated there and we have noted their inclusion in the draft regulations. But after consultation, we decided to retable them—I will not go over all the ground again—so that we could have the Minister’s assurance that these are still the Government’s intentions and to allow him to comment on the consultation progress to date. I beg to move.