Working parents are to be granted the right to request time off work to care for their children, under new legal guidelines to be announced this week.

Trade and industry secretary Patricia Hewitt will set out the "family friendly" policy on Tuesday alongside a report from the government's work and parents taskforce. But, as widely predicted, the measures fall short of giving parents the right to insist on time off and employers can refuse requests if they give written reasons that it damages their business.