Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP
West Edinburgh Times (Family friendly legislation April 07 & Fairtrade fortnight)
Balancing the responsibilities of family and work is hard but we must give parents the choices to help them achieve that essential balance.
Working parents have benefited from increases in maternity pay, which will have more than doubled by April this year. They have also benefited from new rights to paternity and adoption leave, and from the right to request flexible working. If you want more details just let me know.
Since we introduced the right to request to work flexibly, three times more parents are taking up the opportunity than in 2002. Latest figures show that nearly half of new mothers work flex-time and almost triple the numbers of new fathers now work flexibly. And childcare places are also essential. It can be difficult to get the right arrangements in place.
In April, over 2 ½ million carers will join the 3 ½ million parents of young children with a right to request flexible working. It is having a profound effect on our working culture. This approach is right for families and right for businesses too.
Of course millions of carers are hidden heroes who keep families together through their support and devotion. I met a group of people who looked after young and old alike and we owe them a great deal. Carers often provide care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, taking on that precious role that enables a friend or family member to stay at home and live with independence and security that too often we take for granted. Carers are so important and we want them to get more support.
On another subject, Monday 26 February marked the start of Fairtrade Fortnight to raise awareness for ethical shopping in the UK which promotes trade from the developing world and helps poor farmers.
If a product carries the Fairtrade mark a producer in the developing world will receive a minimum price that covers the cost of production and a premium that is invested in the local community. Between 2002 and 2007 the Government will have given more than £1m to the Fairtrade Foundation to help it promote and extend its Fairtrade mark.
It’s good that so many people have committed their support to buying Fairtrade products. By buying these products we can all do our bit to promote trade justice throughout the world.
We are committed to concluding the World trade talks this year which would allow poorer economies to grow and lift millions of people out of abject poverty. A lot of people have written to me about this and I’ll keep you updated.
