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Adoption and Children Act 2002 (Consequential Amendment to Statutory Adoption Pay) Order 2006

I welcome the clear explanation given by the Minister on these new orders. I was supportive in the other place, as my party is and has been, of the importance of giving people in the workplace the opportunity to meet their need for maternity and paternity leave, so it is to be welcomed that that is going forward. I hope it will justify what we on these Benches feel is the importance of work-life balance, which the Minister has referred to. That can only be good. In the past, I have always referred—as did the noble Baroness a moment ago—to the importance of small businesses. It is important that the guidance is good. The Minister has referred to the fact that there is good guidance to support these regulations. I urge him again to ensure that it is good and clear, because there many small firms that have such a burden to deal with in terms of bureaucracy and red tape, as it is called, that anything that can be done to help them understand the regulations is to be welcomed. It is satisfactory that the Government have listened to the people who asked, during consultation, to ensure that the time for notice be amended. I support the order. It is extremely importantthat there is clarity and agreement, and I think that that will be the result of this regulation, provided that the information given to all firms is clear and to the point.