All Civil Service employees - both male and female - will be offered equal parental pay and support from next year, Nick Clegg will announce this week.

The change means that fathers will now be able to benefit from enhanced pay for shared parental leave - if both parents decide to divide the time up - as mothers currently do.

Following a previous announcement by the Deputy Prime Minister last year, new parents will already have the choice over how they split their statutory entitlement from April.

But there will be no onus on employers offering occupational maternity schemes above and beyond that to do so on an equal basis.

This means that while fathers have the right to take leave, they may be discouraged from doing so if they do not receive any occupational benefits and have a partner who does.

Mr Clegg hopes that equalising occupational support at the Civil Service, also from April, will encourage other public and private sector organisations to follow suit.

In a speech, the Liberal Democrat leader will say: "For me, it's critical that people who choose to work in the public sector know that they're working in modern, progressive workplaces.

"I pushed for the introduction of shared parental leave in the first place because I fundamentally believe it's time for us to sweep away the outdated regulations and prejudices which still limit the choices of too many people in this country.

"Evidence shows promoting flexible working patterns like this can help boost employee productivity, loyalty and retention.

"To help get that revolution started in the public sector, working with the Cabinet Office, I've been pushing hard for radical reforms to the way in which the Civil Service pays and supports its staff after their children are born.

"So, I'm pleased to confirm that from April 2015 the Civil Service will be offering equal parental pay and support to all its employees - male and female.

"As a result, it will no longer just be new mums working in the Civil Service who can take maternity leave at full pay. Dads will also be able to benefit from enhanced pay for shared parental leave, if both parents choose to carve up their time between them.

"This means more fathers will be able to afford to take time off to spend caring for their new born children.

"More widely, I want to see this change blaze a trail for other public and private sector organisations to follow - making this option the norm for more working families and increasing the opportunities available to both sexes to earn and care across our society."