Working parents have received welcome support from the government today as Gordon Brown announced plans to give all parents of children up to the age of 16 the right to request flexible working conditions.

According to Press Association estimates, the new provision will give 4.5 million more workers the right to ask for flexible work – a right presently only extended to parents of children aged up to six years.

"The right to request flexible working has been working for lots of people over the last few years. It is working for parents of young children and now it can apply to children under 16 where families need time off to help bring [them] up," said Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The decision to increase the age to 16 comes in the wake of a report by Imelda Walsh, human resources director at Sainsbury's supermarket chain.

"I am convinced that the challenges which parents with older children face are considerable, and that the arguments for raising the age to 16 are compelling," she said.

"This change would offer an important opportunity for parents to have extra flexibility at key times in their children's lives."

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