Maternity leave to be reviewed

Tynwald committee recommendations

Changes could be made to government's policy on paid parental leave, following a newly-announced review.

It is one of a series of recommendations by a Tynwald committee investigating a 'severe shortage' of nursery places, which was approved yesterday.

The committee found only a third of Manx under-two-year-olds could be served by the current amount of nursery places available.

This situation was found to be having a 'detrimental effect' on children, parents, and the wider economy.

Among the recommendations is the development of a new strategy for families with young children, which could see new daycare providers offered financial grants to incentivise growing their number of places.

Treasury will also review the 39 weeks of paid maternity leave, and two weeks of paternity leave, which is currently offered to parents.

In the UK, both parents can share up to 37 weeks of paid leave between them.