The government has announced plans to extend the right to request flexible working hours to parents of older children.

Under current rules, only parents of children who are aged under six or disabled can ask for more flexible working hours but the government announced in the Queen’s speech that it would make this available to more parents.

It has asked Sainsbury’s HR director Imelda Walsh to lead a review into how flexible working could be extended to parents of older children without placing too much of a burden on businesses.

The CBI has welcomed the review but warned the government against going “too far, too fast”.