Flexible working to be extended

Karen Mattison is a founder of Women Like Us, set up to help women get back into work

The right to request flexible working is to be extended to about 4.5 million parents of children aged up to 16.

Under the current rules the opportunity is limited to parents whose children are under six or disabled.

Following the recommendations of an independent review, Business Secretary John Hutton said the move would give a "big boost" to busy parents.

Leaders of small businesses have criticised the step and said it could be damaging to firms.

'Compelling argument'

Mr Hutton said the move could help employers get the best out of the mothers and fathers in their workforce.

He said: "It is important that employers retain control over deciding whether it suits their business to allow people to work flexibly, but extending the right to request to parents of older children will allow families to take priority when decisions are made."

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he thought the extension would be welcomed by "a lot of employers".

The government has left businesses and families in the dark as ministers have squabbled Theresa May Shadow minister for women

This was because the scheme "has actually been working for millions of people over the last few years", he told BBC News.

But the shadow minister for women, Theresa May, said Mr Brown had "dithered" about flexible working and said he should have listened to Tory recommendations on the matter last year.

"We made a clear commitment to extend flexible working rights to all parents with children under the age of 18.

"In contrast the government has left businesses and families in the dark as ministers have squabbled."

She went on: "All this uncertainty is unhelpful and business, as well families, needs to know where it stands."

'Impossible position'

More than 90% of requests for flexible working were approved by employers last year.

The review was carried out by Imelda Walsh, human resources director of Sainsbury's.

It said awareness needed to be raised among both employees and employers of the right to request flexible working.

Any extension of the right to request flexible working is a much-needed step forward for parents Sarah Jackson Working Families chief executive

Ms Walsh said: "I am convinced that the challenges which parents with older children face are considerable, and that the arguments for raising the age to 16 are compelling.

"This change would offer an important opportunity for parents to have extra flexibility at key times in their children's lives."

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said the move would be "great news for parents struggling to combine work with their often hectic family lives".

However, Federation of Small Businesses chairman Alan Tyrrell said: "The announcement puts small businesses in an impossible position.

"You can't have an extension of flexible working and at the same time clamp down on the means by which many small businesses cope with it which is often through temporary workers.

"The current flexible working regime seems to be working but the government should be cautious about extending it too far which could be damaging to small businesses and, as a result, the millions of people they employ."

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development said its research showed flexible working made employees happier and therefore likely to be more productive.

Working Families chief executive Sarah Jackson said: "Any extension of the right to request flexible working is a much-needed step forward for parents.

"We know from our helpline how many parents need greater flexibility and want more time with school-aged children."