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MPs demand formal maternity and paternity leave

MPs could be set to cause new debate over maternity and paternity leave rights.

A Labour Party committee wrote a letter to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority in which they called on parliament to create a formal maternity and paternity scheme for MPs.

The group, chaired by Barbara Follett, warned that some female MPs are struggling to organise and pay for childcare due to the unpredictable hours that they work.

In the letter, the committee noted that flexibility in looking after children has to be paid for.

"We think it is wrong that individual MPs should bear the whole of this cost," it stated. "A maternity and indeed paternity leave scheme should be in place for MPs."

These demands come after the government was critical of EU proposals to increase maternity leave allowance to 20 weeks on full pay.

Employment relations minister Lord Young argued that implementing these plans could prove damaging to the economy, which is still fragile following the recession.