Working parents are to be granted the right to request time off work to care for their under six-year old children, under new legal guidelines to be announced today.

Trade and industry secretary Patricia Hewitt will set out the "family friendly" policy on alongside a report from the government's work and parents taskforce.

Nearly 3.8 million parents will be eligible for the "right to ask" and Hewitt will signal that 82 per cent of companies are expected to consent.