Plans to give 6 months paid leave to new fathers have been put on hold. It seems that the Government has recognised the extra costs they would impose on business and decided now wasn’t the time, recession-wise.

Plans to extend maternity leave from 6 to 9 months have also bitten the dust, for the same reason.

Originally paternity leave was a keystone of the Labour Party’s manifesto at the last election. It’s implementation was expected to give families more flexibility in caring for new babies. But the Department for Business and Enterprise acknowledged that the proposals have become a casualty of cost cutting.

As expected, equality campaigners are agitated accusing the Government of undermining the equalities agenda.

The plans had been presented by labour as the keystone of its family friendly agenda and had won praise from female MP’s (including those who have been caught with their hands in the expenses till), family groups and equality campaigners. Yes, the plans would have allowed lesbians and gays to share maternity leave too!

As small business has pointed out, if a firm has 5 employees and one is on maternity leave, that’s a fifth of the work force out. The extra cost and hassle that it causes, particularly to small business, is enormous.

But of course, Westminster carries on its business in its usual way. The house of commons is to consider giving female MPs more maternity rights and even childcare vouchers to “encourage more women into politics”.

I wonder how they can fiddle the voucher system? Charge for children they’ve had adopted? Sell the vouchers for cash on Ebay ………