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<p>Enforcement of all minimum wages, including the National Minimum Wage (NMW) for
apprentices, is the responsibility of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).</p><p>In
the period 2017 to 2018, HMRC identified a record £15.6 million in total arrears owed
to 200,000 workers who were underpaid the minimum wages and issued £14 million in
penalties. HMRC continues to investigate 100% of complaints received from workers
in respect of minimum wage law.</p><p>The government’s naming scheme, which was introduced
in 2013, provides HMRC with the power to publicly name employers who fail to pay minimum
wages. 1,900 businesses have already been named. Between them, these businesses owed
workers total arrears of more than £11 million. Apprentices are distinguished separately.</p><p>Each
new apprentice on a government-funded apprenticeship receives a letter from the Minister
of State for Apprenticeships and Skills which sets out what they can expect from their
apprenticeship. This letter includes information on apprentices’ entitlement to the
NMW.</p><p>The Education and Skills Funding Agency’s Find an Apprenticeship service
also has built-in automated checks to ensure that no apprenticeship vacancy can be
advertised with a wage rate below the NMW level. An employer would not be able to
submit a vacancy to Find an Apprenticeship until the NMW requirements are met.</p><p>
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