Only 1 in 172 fathers are taking Additional Paternity Leave (APL), according to a new TUC analysis. The analysis of official figures shows that of the 285,000 dads eligible to take APL just 1,650 (0.6 per cent) did so in 2011/12. Under APL a father is able to take up to 26 weeks leave and 19 weeks pay when his partner has ended her maternity leave, no earlier than 20 weeks after the birth of the baby. However, the TUC believes men are not taking advantage of it because the statutory rate of pay for APL is just £136 a week and is almost never topped up by employers. The analysis also reveals that although nine in ten fathers take some time off following the birth of their child, fewer than one in three spend longer than two weeks at home.
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