Yes, certain employment law provisions come into effect on 6th April 2003. In a nutshell, they include extending the statutory maternity leave period from 18 weeks to 26 weeks, making paternity leave a statutory 'right' (subject to the individual meeting certain criteria, such as length of of service) and giving parents of young children (under 6) and disabled children under 18 the right to ask their employer for flexible working conditions - again, all subject to the individual meeting qualifying criteria. If you want more details, a good starting point is tiger.gov.uk which provides guidance on employment rights.