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<p>The Government is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation
and the effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage
should receive it.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has collaborated with care sector
representative bodies to improve understanding of compliance risks and design controls
within payroll systems that prevent workers being underpaid the minimum wage, in order
to improve compliance.</p><p> </p><p>Guidance on Gov.uk has been updated to make it
as clear as possible that travel time and rest breaks between assignments must be
paid at least the national minimum wage (NMW).</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the Government
will continue to work with the sector to ensure that understanding improves. This
will include the Department of Health’s statutory guidance as part of the overall
guidance on market shaping and commissioning the final version of which will be published
in Autumn 2014.</p><p> </p><p>We have considered the National Audit Office report
and note that their estimates come from a self-reported survey of care workers. Examination
of surveys of individuals (such as the Labour Force Survey) find that some people
tend to report longer working hours and a lower hourly rate compared to those reported
by employers who pay the minimum wage.</p><p> </p><p>The current best estimate of
non-compliance is derived from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE)[1].
The Low Pay Commission[2] published the proportion of jobs held by those aged 22 and
over, paid below the NMW by sector. Figures show that non-compliance is relatively
low in social care (0.8%) compared with other sectors. This is generally in line with
non-compliance in the whole economy.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This estimate, as well
as all estimates of non-compliance, has some limitations. However, there are no reasons
to suppose that these limitations affect the social care sector more or less than
the econom<ins class="ministerial">y</ins> <ins class="ministerial">as a whole.</ins></p><p>
</p><p>[1] ASHE is a survey of employees completed by employers which we can use to
look at workers earning at or below the NMW rate.</p><p>[2]<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/288841/The_National_Minimum_Wage_LPC_Report_2014.pdf"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/288841/The_National_Minimum_Wage_LPC_Report_2014.pdf</a></p><p>
</p><p> </p>
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