Written question asked by Jackie Ballard (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 6 March 2001, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 12 March 2001. It was answered by Alan Johnson (Labour) on Monday, 12 March 2001 on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Dept of Trade and Industry

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment he has made of the extent to which the uptake of parental leave is influenced by an individual's level of income.

Answer: Jackie Ballard: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the extent to which the uptake of parental leave is influenced by an individual's level of income. [152848] Mr. Alan Johnson: A survey of working parents conducted in June 2000 by my Department asked parents whether they had taken up parental leave since December 1999. For the great majority of cases, the survey collected information on household income rather than individual income. We are currently analysing this information, which should allow analysis of take-up levels of parental leave across household income bands and provide an indication of whether potential take-up of parental leave is influenced by income levels. A full report of the survey findings is being prepared for publication, but no detailed results are yet available.

Secondary information