Despite the government's promise to be more business friendly, plans have been announced to change the law regarding the paid leave that couples are entitled to take following the birth of a child. This will allow new parents to take more time off work than under the current regulations. It is claimed that the current legislation makes it difficult for those with family commitments to manage all of their responsibilities, but it needs to be recognised that businesses (and in particular small businesses) need to operate in a way that guarantees that staff are available to do the jobs that need doing. The new proposals are undoubtedly going to make the system more complicated and could dissuade businesses from employing certain groups of people. They should be opposed.