Radical reform benefits working mums

7.43.38pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 1st Feb 2005

PPC Laura Murphy, "Mums can concentrate on their babies and not worry about the money".

Working mothers in Tunbridge Wells welcomed the launch last week of the Liberal Democrat 'Maternity Income Guarantee'. This radical reform of maternity pay provision for the first-born child will mean that every working mum will be guaranteed a working wage.

Over 200,000 working women have their first baby every year. Commenting on the reform, working mum Joanna Au Brey said, "When my first child was born it would have been a lot easier if I'd known that I was going to receive over £4,000 for the first six months. This is going to make a huge difference to so many women."

The LibDem proposals means that, when they have their first child, all working mothers will be paid at least £4,420 for the 26 weeks of statutory maternity leave. This equates to £170 per week, the equivalent of the gross income of the minimum wage for a 35 hour week.

"Bringing up your first child is a tough job," said LibDem PPC Laura Murphy, "and this should be reflected in a proper maternity pay package. This means that mothers will be able to spend more time in their child's early months without feeling financially pressured to return to work."

Laura added, "This is particularly true for women on low incomes and we can now provide real financial security for a full six months for tens of thousands of women."