Tory joint parental leave scheme

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Mr Cameron said that a Tory administration would extend the Government's current plans to reform maternity and paternity leave, in order to give new mothers and fathers more flexibility to decide how they will care for their child.

Announcing the new policy on the eve of the Conservatives' Spring Forum in Gateshead, Mr Cameron said it was part of a drive to address the roots of social problems such as drugs and alcohol abuse by making Britain more "family friendly".

Under current Government plans, maternity leave is due to be extended to 52 weeks by 2010. After the first 26 weeks, parents are to be allowed to choose whether it is the mother or the father who stays at home.

The Tory proposals would instead offer a total of 52 weeks' Flexible Parental Leave, which parents could divide up as they choose.

Women would be expected to take leave to be with their baby for the first 14 weeks, because of the recognised benefits for health and bonding of close contact between mother and child in the vital period immediately after the birth.

But the remaining 38 weeks could be split up between the parents so the mother can return to work or both can stay at home together for as long as 26 weeks.

The same rights would be extended to the partners of mothers in same-sex relationships, and fathers who stay at work would still be entitled to their two weeks' paid paternity leave.

Tories said that the change would allow fathers to be more involved in caring for their child and would help strengthen relationships between new parents by allowing them to look after their baby together.

And they said it could reduce the gender pay gap at work by cutting the average difference between the leave taken by men and women after their baby is born.