BBC Daily Politics piece on government plans to change the maternity laws and the potential impact changes on small businesses.

Transcription

But what about the impact on small businesses?  This accountancy firm in Theale near Reading employs 8 people, one of whom is soon to go on maternity leave.  The boss says she can plan for that, but the prospect of parents taking their parental leave in movable chunks would be a problem.

As a services business each person is really critical to the business, so we are already planning well in advance for the next person about to go on maternity leave – and that’s fine as long as we know they’re going to be going approximately for 8 or 9 months.

But if they were going 3 months on, then 3 months off, then 3 months on , it does get a lot more complicated to work out the right cover for that.

So can the governments future plans for parental leave be business friendly and family friendly at the same time?