Government does u-turn on flexible working

The government is to repeal regulations extending the right to request flexible working to parents of 17 year olds, it has been revealed. These changes were due to be introduced on 6 April 2011 but were set out by Mark Prisk of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in a speech to the Federation of Small Businesses as Workplace Report went to press. The right is to be repealed for all businesses.

Announcing the change in Parliament, parliamentary under-secretary of state for employment relations Ed Davey said that, although the government remains “committed” to extending the right to request flexible working to all employees “in due course”, now is not the time to introduce greater rights for parents, because of current economic conditions, effectively kicking this manifesto commitment into the long grass.