Flexible Working (Eligibility & Procedure) Regulations 2002
This gives parents of a child younger than six, or a disabled child younger than 18, the right to apply for flexible working. Employees will have to have completed 26 weeks of continuous service to be eligible and they may only apply once a year.

From 6 April 2007 the law has extended the right to request flexible working to carers of adults

Work and Families Act 2006
This Act has extended a number of rights at work, such as increasing maternity and paternity and adoption leave. These amended rights have been included in the relevant sections of this guide.

Working Time Regulations
The basic rights and protections that the Regulations provide are:

• a limit of an average of 48 hours a week which a worker can be required to work (though workers can choose to work more if they want to, by opting out of the working time regulations). • a limit of an average of 8 hours work in 24 which nightworkers can be required to work. • a right for night workers to receive free health assessments. • a right to 11 hours rest a day. • a right to a day off each week. • a right to an in-work rest break if the working day is longer than 6 hours. • a right to 4 weeks paid leave per year.

The Part Time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000
The right not to be less favourably treated than comparable full-timers, unless it is justified on objective grounds.

The Fixed Term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002
The right not to be less favourably treated than comparable permanent employees, unless it is justified on objective grounds.

The Department of Trade and Industry has published guidelines on these regulations and ACAS is also a useful source of information.

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