The Government has launched a consultation on plans to introduce a new system of flexible parental leave from 2015 as part of its plans to create a modern workplace for the modern economy.

The Government has put in place a moratorium for micro firms on all new domestic regulations for the next three years. But the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is concerned that micro firms will continue to be hit hard by new regulations that come from Europe – 72% of the total cost of UK regulation now originates from Brussels.

Changes to paternity leave from 3rd April, and the scrapping of the Default Retirement Age on 6th April will be damaging, claim business owners in an ongoing British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) survey.

Working Families has carried out a survey of employers’ readiness for the employment law changes to Additional Paternity Leave (APL) and Pay, introduced for parents of babies due on or after 3rd April 2011.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has given its response to the recent budget, in which it commets on the Government's proposed moratorium on employment regulation for small firms, expressing concerns that it might create a two-tier labour market.