New employment regulations regarding maternity pay could lead to complications for small businesses, the Forum of Private Business (FPB) has cautioned.

Under the new rules, mothers of children born after April 1st 2007 qualify for an increase in Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) from 26 to 39 weeks.

FPB campaigns manager Victoria Carson indicated that firms affected by expectant mothers taking extended leave could "be left holding the baby", forced to soak up any extra costs.

"Big businesses can quite easily replace members of the workforce without serious consequences; however, this is not the case for small firms with highly-skilled, specialised or experienced workers," she said.

"As a consequence, the responsibilities of missing employees have to be passed onto other staff, reducing productivity and profitability."

On the other hand, the FPB has welcomed the introduction of ten "keeping in touch" days for mothers to maintain contact with the office for the benefit of all involved.