Legal News From Aidan Loy You heard it here first!

Prior visitors to this site will have been aware of our skepticism regarding the Government's proposals to allow both parents to share an enhanced maternity/paternity leave provision, divided between make and female. This would, on the surface, have created difficulties for employers in dovetailing arrangements for two employees, usually each working in a different location.

In actuality, of course, this would have made no real difference to the situation now, except for the novelty of males applying for this. In fact, although most females would probably have wished to retain the bulk (or totality) of leave, the fact that responsibilities could be shared would probably have reduced pressure on employers and, most certainly, reduced the increasing prevalence of (usually female) HR Directors to quietly shy away from employing young women, under the law of unintended consequences. However, Government has, as Government does, picked a superficially popular line with business, at no cost to itself. The official position now is that equalisation is still an "aspiration", although no timetable has been set. For those wondering when such an aspiration is to be realised, our advice would be not to hold your breath.