The Belfast Telegraph Working mothers will be able to take up to a year off work as part of a shake-up of maternity rules. Trade and Industry Secretary Stephen Byers said the three-part package was aimed at helping women and easing the administrative burdens on employers. Unpaid maternity leave will be extended by three months, there will be a new simplified framework of maternity pay and leave regulations and the launch of a new website for working mums. The extension of unpaid leave will mean that a woman can stay at home for up to 12 months in total. It would allow mothers to spend more time with their new child and organise childcare for their return to work.
Evidence shows that women with longer periods of maternity leave are more likely to return to work.
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