Liberal Democrats to triple paternity leave if elected

LONDON (ShareCast) - The Liberal Democrats announced plans to triple paternity leave from 2 weeks to six weeks during a visit to a play centre in East Dunbartonshire. The pledge, which will be in the party's yet-to-be launched manifesto, will give fathers an extra month of ordinary paternity pay (£138.18 per week) when they have a child.

It coincides with the introduction of shared parental leave across the UK - a policy driven by the Liberal Democrats within the coalition.

The annual public cost has been estimated by the Department for Business Innovation and skills to be approximately £58m.

Clegg insisted that business would get on board with the policy: "I think everybody would accept, and all business people would accept, that it is a good thing if dads take more time off to be with their newborn children - if that's what they want," he said.

"I want parents to choose for themselves how to balance work and family," he added.