Jobs report slams flexible leave plans Plans to allow parents to share flexible leave should be delayed until the UK has eliminated its deficit, according to recommendations by a Number 10-inspired report on employment relations. The Beecroft report, written by venture capitalist and Conservative party donor Adrian Beecroft, said the benefits to family life did not compensate for the additional costs to employers and the Exchequer in the current economic climate. The report also suggested easing the burden on businesses that employ fewer than 10 people. Small businesses should be allowed to opt out of seven regulations, ranging from unfair dismissal to pension auto-enrolment, when hiring new staff. The proposals to extend parental leave to all parents with children under a certain age were "very expensive" for the government and would impose "significant operational problems on business," the report said. The flexible leave plans could cost the government £143m a year, it said. The bill for employers could range from £20.5m a year if it were restricted to families with children under five, to £64.5m if the plans were extended to parents with offspring under 18, Mr Beecroft estimated. The report said there were real benefits to families including more flexible childcare arrangements and increased opportunity for fathers to spend time with their children. But it added that the legislation was "likely to further reduce the attractiveness of hiring women of childbearing age." The bureaucratic burden on very small businesses should be eased because entrepreneurs spend too much time trying to understand regulations, distracting them from expanding their businesses, it said. "Regulators often ignore the fact that many small businesses are run by people who are very proficient at the activity that is at the heart of their business, be it painting and decorating, cooking, driving or whatever, but have very limited administrative skills," the report said. Business leaders have criticised the plans for parental leave, saying it would make it impossible to plan. The CBI employers" group has said it is concerned about the proposals as the UK "already offers some of the most generous provisions in the world." The flexible working arrangements are seen by both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats as likely to boost their popularity among women, who surveys have shown are deserting both parties. But the plans could also suffer from coalition wrangling over another family-friendly measure - a £5,500 baby bonus given to parents on the birth of their child. George Osborne, the chancellor, opposes the measure, fearing it could be more expensive than the present system where some mothers do not claim the full 39 weeks of maternity pay. The coalition is also split over the Beecroft report's most controversial proposal which would allow employers to fire underperforming staff at will. Vince Cable, business secretary, has called the plans "bonkers" and said they were developed without any evidence. Mr Cable has had phone conversations with Ed Miliband and one senior Labour insider said "the lines of communication are now open" between Labour and the Liberal Democrats.