Work and Families Bill

I am grateful to the noble Baroness for introducing the amendment, which gives us an opportunity to discuss the issue, and to the noble Earl, Lord Listowel, for his comments. The Government, of course, recognise the importance to families of enabling a father to be involved in caring for his family. Indeed, the introduction of additional paternity leave and pay, which are key elements of the Bill, are intended to enable a father to do just that. In recognising that families benefit from a father being involved with his child from the earliest time, we also recognise that this can begin with his attendance at antenatal appointments. The Department of Trade and Industry publishes best practice guidance that sets out ways that employers can enable a father to attend antenatal appointments without losing pay: for example, enabling him to make up time on another day. The guidance includes information from employers on approaches they have found to work for them. While we encourage employers to allow expectant fathers to take time off work without losing pay to attend antenatal appointments, we do not believe it would be appropriate to introduce a statutory right to paid time off. That is something which should be agreed between employer and employee. This amendment would provide fathers with the same rights as pregnant women to fully paid time off to attend antenatal appointments. The right for pregnant women to take time off to attend antenatal appointments reflects the importance of regular antenatal care to ensure the health and safety of pregnant women and their babies. Ensuring women do not lose pay if they need time off helps to remove disincentives for women keeping appointments that are important not only to their health but also to that of their babies. The provision of such a right is required by the Pregnant Workers Directive. While we would agree that it is desirable for fathers to be able to take time off to attend appointments, we need to balance the interests of parents-to-be with their employers and we believe this is best approached through encouraging employer best practice rather than by placing a statutory duty on employers. It is a matter of where the balance should fall and not what we jointly wish to achieve. Accordingly, I ask the noble Baroness to withdraw her amendment.