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Work and Families Bill

I was talking about right to request costing £80. When we introduced right to request—I see several faces familiar from the time spent scrutinising that legislation—we were told that it would be the end of civilisation itself, that it would be horrendously bureaucratic and that it would affect people’s jobs, but that simply has not happened. The cost to business of the maternity leave provisions has hardly figured in the representations. Concerns have been voiced about paternity leave and the extension of right to request, but little concern has been expressed about providing that a mother should have nine months’ paid maternity leave instead of six months and that that should eventually increase to 12 months. That has widespread support.