---

Maternity and Parental Leave etc. and the Paternity and Adoption Leave (Amendment) Regulations 2008

I thank the Minister for whizzing through that. Regulations 4 to 7 of the Maternity and Parental Leave etc. and the Paternity and Adoption Leave (Amendment) Regulations 2008 amend the Maternity and Parental Leave etc. Regulations 1999 to extend the non-pay terms and conditions to which a woman is entitled during ordinary maternity leave—OML—to the period of additional maternity leave, in future known as AML. Regulations 8 to 10 of the amendment regulations 2008 amend the Paternity and Adoption Leave Regulations 2002 to extend the non-pay terms and conditions to which a woman is entitled during ordinary adoption leave to the period of additional adoption leave. The regulations were debated in the other place yesterday. My honourable friend Mr Jonathan Djanogly gave a long, extended description of what they were all about. I want to avoid the Committee suffering that. He did it beautifully and received a lot of answers. However, a few questions were left, so perhaps the Minister would not mind if I ask one or two. According to the DBERR impact assessment, the regulations will impose costs of more than £162 million, but will create zero financial benefit. Does the Minister believe that at a time of rapidly increasing economic competition it is right to lumber business with yet more regulations and costs? The British Chamber of Commerce estimates that government regulations have cost business in excess of £65 billion since 1998. There have been 14 new regulations every working day. Is this not just another one? It is often claimed that the bulk of the regulation under which United Kingdom business struggles is derived from Europe. Although the Government are well known for their zealous application of the European regulations, I do not think this is another one; I think these are regulations of their own creation. Perhaps the Minister will confirm that. Many small businesses cannot afford to employ an extra member of staff. Therefore, how does the Minister believe that such businesses will be able to afford to maintain the benefits and privileges due to a member of staff on additional maternity leave and hire another member of staff to cover their job? That is the end of the questions that I should like the Minister to answer now, if she can, with the help of her civil servants—or later, if she cannot at this stage. Every one of those questions relates to economics; obviously, I could have made a very long speech about regulations affecting maternity benefits and adoption law, but I do not think that she needs to hear me go through all that right now.