Jacqui Mann
Shared parental leave is expected to apply to parents of children due on or after 5 April 2015. Similar rights will apply to adoptions and intended parents in a surrogacy arrangement.
The new right allows the mother to choose to end her maternity leave any time after the two-week compulsory maternity leave period. After that, the parents can choose how to split the remaining weeks of leave between them. They can be taken by each parent separately or at the same time.
The regulations, still to receive final approval from parliament, set out in detail what the right entails, how many weeks are available and the different ways in which they can be taken, and the eligibility criteria for taking the leave.
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