"In April 2003 the Government introduced an employment law which gave parents of children under 6, or parents of disabled children under 18, the right to request to work a flexible working arrangement. Employers have a statutory duty to consider such applications seriously. The Second DTI Flexible Working Employee Survey found that awareness of the right to request flexible working has increased, with almost two-thirds of employees aware of the right to request flexible working that was introduced in April 2003. Fourteen per cent of British employees reported that they had requested a change to their working arrangements in the last two years."

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