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142586

	registered interest
	date	06/11/2014
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Minimum Wage
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 29 October (HL 2219), whether they have any plans to amend the minimum wage legislation to include interns and others not currently covered by it including those subject to the terms of the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jopling
	uin	HL2696
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2014 answer text <p>Many interns are already entitled to the National Minimum Wage. The term “intern” is not defined in any legislation: entitlement to the minimum wage depends on whether or not an individual is a worker for minimum wage purposes.</p><p> </p><p>The National Minimum Wage applies to all workers unless a specific exemption applies. If an intern is a worker they will be entitled to the minimum wage. An applicable exemption would be students in further or higher education performing work-experience for a period not exceeding 12 months which is part of their studies. It can be legitimate for employers to offer unpaid or ‘expenses-only’ opportunities in some circumstances – in particular where the individual is acting as a volunteer.</p><p> </p><p>Given this dependency on employment status, it is vital that employers and workers understand how this is determined. This is why last month, the Business Secretary announced a review of employment status, looking at how the system could be clarified, providing transparency for both individuals and employers. This is an internal review and findings will be presented to ministers early next year.</p><p> </p><p>There are currently no plans to specifically consider individuals covered by the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 20/11/2014 16:01:07 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	883 label Biography information for Lord Jopling

167253

	registered interest
	date	02/12/2014
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Minimum Wage
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent steps they have taken to improve enforcement of the national minimum wage.
	tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
	uin	HL3354
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2014 answer text <p>HM Revenue and Customs enforces the National Minimum Wage for all workers and investigates every complaint made to the Pay and Work Rights helpline. In addition, HMRC conducts pro-active enforcement in sectors or areas where there is a higher risk of workers not getting paid the legal minimum wage.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is taking a tough approach towards employers that do not comply with the National Minimum Wage (NMW) law, including through making their non-compliance public. 55 employers have been named so far and between them they owed workers a total of over £139,000 in arrears.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has also increased the financial penalty percentage that employers pay for breaking minimum wage law from 50 per cent to 100 per cent of the unpaid arrears owed to workers and the maximum penalty from £5,000 to £20,000. This came into effect on 7 March 2014. We are introducing primary legislation so that the penalty can be calculated on a per worker basis.</p><p> </p><p>Any worker who thinks they are not being paid what they are legally entitled to can call the Pay and Work Right Helpline on 0800 917 2368. Employers can also call the helpline for free advice if they are unsure of their obligations.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 11/12/2014 14:21:53 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

422128

	registered interest
	date	19/10/2015
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Minimum Wage
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that workers in the United Kingdom currently earning below the minimum wage receive the minimum wage.
	tabling member printed	Lord Ouseley
	uin	HL2748
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2015 answer text <p>HMRC enforces the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and responds to every complaint it receives. It also conducts programmes of targeted enforcement in sectors of the economy which have a high risk of non-compliance with the NMW. The Government increased HMRC’s budget for enforcing the NMW by £4m for 2015/16 to £13.2m.</p><br /><p>The Government announced in September an increase in HMRC’s enforcement funding for 2016/17, following the introduction of the National Living Wage in April 2016. The Government also announced a package of measures to strengthen NMW enforcement: increasing penalties from 100% to 200% of the arrears that employers owe; the setting up of a dedicated team in HMRC focused on tackling the most serious cases of wilful non-compliance; and the creation of a statutory Director of Labour Market Enforcement and Exploitation.</p><br /> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 29/10/2015 12:44:51 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	2170 label Biography information for Lord Ouseley

432105

	registered interest
	date	24/11/2015
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Minimum Wage
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 24 November (HL3548), what are the minimum wages in each EU member state, and what is their estimate of the effect on migration of the proposed increases in the UK minimum wage.
	tabling member printed	Lord Forsyth of Drumlean
	uin	HL3878
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2015 answer text <p>The Low Pay Commission’s National Minimum Wage Report 2015 outlines details of 2014 adult minimum wage rates in 12 comparator countries, including EU member states. Minimum wages vary in level and structure between countries given the context of their economic and labour market conditions. These comparisons are broken down in the table below.</p><br /><p>BIS has not undertaken any analysis of the effect of proposed minimum wage changes on migration.</p><br /> <br /><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="7"><p><strong>Annex 3</strong>: Comparison of Adult Minimum Wage, by Country, End 2014</p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td><p><br></p></td><td rowspan="2"><p><strong>In national currency expressed as hourly rate<sup>a</sup></strong></p></td><td colspan="2"><p><strong>In UK £, using:</strong></p></td><td rowspan="2"><p><strong>Date of last uprating</strong></p></td><td rowspan="2"><p><strong>% increase in national currency from 2012/2013 to 2014</strong></p></td><td rowspan="2"><p><strong>Age full minimum wage usually applies<sup>b</sup></strong></p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td><p><br></p></td><td><p><strong>Exchange rates</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>PPPs</strong></p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Australia<sup>c</sup> </strong></p></td><td><p>AUS$16.87</p></td><td><p>9.37</p></td><td><p>8.44</p></td><td><p>Jul-14</p></td><td><p>3.0</p></td><td><p>21</p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Belgium</strong></p></td><td><p>€ 8.67</p></td><td><p>6.88</p></td><td><p>7.80</p></td><td><p>Dec-12</p></td><td><p>0.0</p></td><td><p>21</p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Canada<sup>d</sup></strong></p></td><td><p>C$10.39</p></td><td><p>5.79</p></td><td><p>6.29</p></td><td><p><sup>e</sup></p></td><td><p>1.5</p></td><td><p>16</p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>France</strong></p></td><td><p>€ 9.53</p></td><td><p>7.54</p></td><td><p>8.57</p></td><td><p>Jan-14</p></td><td><p>1.1</p></td><td><p>18</p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Greece</strong></p></td><td><p>€3.52<sup>f</sup></p></td><td><p>2.73</p></td><td><p>3.82</p></td><td><p>Feb-12</p></td><td><p>0.0</p></td><td><p>25</p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Ireland</strong></p></td><td><p>€ 8.65</p></td><td><p>6.84</p></td><td><p>7.20</p></td><td><p>Jul-11<sup>g</sup></p></td><td><p>0.0</p></td><td><p>20</p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Japan<sup>h</sup></strong></p></td><td><p>JPY780</p></td><td><p>4.46</p></td><td><p>5.31</p></td><td><p>Oct-13</p></td><td><p>2.0</p></td><td><p>15/18<sup>i</sup></p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Netherlands</strong></p></td><td><p>8.63<sup>j</sup></p></td><td><p>6.83</p></td><td><p>7.59</p></td><td><p>Jul-14</p></td><td><p>1.2</p></td><td><p>23</p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>New Zealand</strong></p></td><td><p>NZ$14.25</p></td><td><p>7.12</p></td><td><p>7.05</p></td><td><p>Apr-14</p></td><td><p>3.6</p></td><td><p>16</p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Portugal<sup>l</sup> </strong></p></td><td><p>€ 2.91</p></td><td><p>2.30</p></td><td><p>3.33</p></td><td><p>Oct-14</p></td><td><p>4.0</p></td><td><p>16</p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Spain<sup>l</sup></strong></p></td><td><p>€ 3.72</p></td><td><p>2.94</p></td><td><p>3.82</p></td><td><p>Jan-12</p></td><td><p>0.0</p></td><td><p>16</p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>United Kingdom</strong></p></td><td><p>$6.50</p></td><td><p>6.50</p></td><td><p>6.50</p></td><td><p>Oct-14</p></td><td><p>3.0</p></td><td><p>21</p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>United States</strong></p></td><td><p>US$7.25<sup>m</sup></p></td><td><p>4.45</p></td><td><p>5.63</p></td><td><p>Jul-09</p></td><td><p>0.0</p></td><td><p>20</p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td colspan="7" rowspan="2"><p><em>Source:</em> British Embassies and High Commissions, Low Pay Commission (LPC) calculations of country minimum wage rates in pounds sterling using exchange rates and PPPs. PPPs derived from Comparative Price Levels (CPLs), OEDC Main Economic Indicators, September 2014. Exchange rates, Bank of England month average spot exchange rates, September 2014.</p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><p><em>Notes:</em></p></td><td><p><br></p></td><td><p><br></p></td><td><p><br></p></td><td><p><br></p></td><td><p><br></p></td><td><p><br></p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td colspan="7" rowspan="2"><p>a. For countries where the minimum wage is not expressed as an hourly rate, the rate has been converted to an hourly basis assuming a working time of 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week and 173.3 hours per month.</p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td colspan="7" rowspan="2"><p>b. Exemptions and special rules apply in many cases. For example, in France and the US the full adult rate applies to young workers with tenure of more than six and more than three months respectively.</p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td colspan="6"><p>c. The Australian Federal National Minimum Wage Order, effective from first pay period on or after 1 July 2014.</p></td><td><p><br></p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p>d. Weighted average of provincial/territorial rates.</p></td><td><p><br></p></td><td><p><br></p></td><td><p><br></p></td><td><p><br></p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p>e. Date of last uprating varies between provinces.</p></td><td><p><br></p></td><td><p><br></p></td><td><p><br></p></td><td><p><br></p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td colspan="6"><p>f. Minimum hourly rate for ‘employees’. Different hourly rate operates for ‘blue collar’ workers.</p></td><td><p><br></p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td colspan="7" rowspan="2"><p>g. The hourly minimum rate was reduced from €8.65 to €7.65 for adult workers on 1 Feb 2011. That reduction was reversed and the hourly rate went back up to €8.65 on 1 July 2011.</p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><p>h. Weighted average of prefectural rates.</p></td><td><p><br></p></td><td><p><br></p></td><td><p><br></p></td><td><p><br></p></td><td><p><br></p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td colspan="6"><p>i. Age 15 to receive the regional minimum wage. Age 18 to receive the sectoral minimum wage.</p></td><td><p><br></p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td colspan="7" rowspan="2"><p>j. Excludes 8 per cent supplement for holiday pay. Minimum wage based on a 40 hour working week. There are different minimum wage rates for those working a 38 or 36 hour week.</p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td colspan="7"><p>k. For all employees aged 16 and over, who are not either on the training minimum wage or the starting out minimum wage.</p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td colspan="6"><p>l. Not including annual supplementary pay of two additional months of salary for full-time workers.</p></td><td><p><br></p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td colspan="6"><p>m. Federal minimum wage. Tipped employees receive a lower minimum wage depending on state laws.</p></td><td><p><br></p></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 08/12/2015 17:52:09 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	1141 label Biography information for Lord Forsyth of Drumlean

516552

	registered interest
	date	28/04/2016
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Minimum Wage
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will name those businesses that are known to have changed the terms and conditions of their low-paid workers in order to recover some of the costs of paying an increased minimum wage; and what steps they plan to take to discourage businesses from taking such steps.
	tabling member printed	Lord Blencathra
	uin	HL8064
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/05/2016 answer text <p>The Government believes that it is essential for employers to ensure that their reward packages are competitive, in order to retain and develop the staff who are fundamental to their success. In a growing economy, the National Living Wage should represent an opportunity to invest in talented staff and improve productivity.</p><p>The Government does not plan to operate a formal scheme to name employers who change employees’ terms and conditions. But we will continue to be clear that reducing wider remuneration packages and blaming the National Living Wage is short-sighted and not in the spirit of the introduction of the National Living Wage.</p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 12/05/2016 10:18:59 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	497 label Biography information for Lord Blencathra

442249

	registered interest
	date	04/01/2016
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Minimum Wage
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if the Government will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing penalties levied on employers who do not pay staff at least the national minimum wage.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Hall Green
	tabling member printed	Mr Roger Godsiff
	uin	20822
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2016 answer text <br /><p>From April 2016, we are increasing the calculation of penalties from 100% to 200% of the arrears owed. The penalty is reduced by half if employers pay within 14 days.</p><br /><p>By increasing the penalties for underpayment of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) we intend to deter employers from breaking the law so that working people receive the money they are legally due.</p><br /><p>This new calculation ensures a tougher penalty for employers found to have underpaid the NMW.</p><br /><p>The fast track Impact Assessment for increasing the penalties has been validated by the Regulatory Policy Committee and published here - <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2015/324" target="_blank">http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2015/324</a></p><p><strong></strong></p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 19/01/2016 16:02:16 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
	tabling member	304 label Biography information for Mr Roger Godsiff

442849

	registered interest
	date	06/01/2016
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Minimum Wage
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of HM Revenue and Customs' strategy to enforce the national minimum wage.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Hall Green
	tabling member printed	Mr Roger Godsiff
	uin	21217
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2016 answer text <br /><p>The Low Pay Commission publish an annual report on the National Minimum Wage (NMW) which includes a full assessment of the Government’s NMW compliance and enforcement strategy. The 2015 report is available here - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-minimum-wage-low-pay-commission-report-2015" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-minimum-wage-low-pay-commission-report-2015</a> - the next report is due to be published in February 2016.</p><br /> <br /><p><strong></strong></p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 18/01/2016 17:20:36 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
	tabling member	304 label Biography information for Mr Roger Godsiff

387772

	registered interest
	date	06/07/2015
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Minimum Wage
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Answer of 29 January 2015 to Question 221930, how many of the employers issued with a Notice of Underpayment of the National Minimum Wage have been named under the Department's revised national minimum wage naming and shaming scheme; how many employers have been issued with such a notice since 29 January 2015; and how many of those employers have been named under that scheme.
	tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
	tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
	uin	5609
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/07/2015 answer text <p>Since 1 October 2013, 210 employers have been named under the National Minimum Wage naming scheme.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC has issued 333 Notices of Underpayment (NoUs) since 29 January 2015. Of these, 274 were for investigations that commenced on or after 1 October 2013 and are therefore eligible for naming under the new scheme.</p><p> </p><p>Since 29 January 2015, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has named 118 employers, of which 4 employers were issued an NoU after that date. The Department expects to name more employers shortly.</p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 13/07/2015 11:56:27 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
	tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

439344

	registered interest
	date	17/12/2015
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Minimum Wage
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2015 to Question 5609, how many HM Revenue and Customs investigations that commenced on or after 1 October 2013 resulted in the issuing of Notice of Underpayment (NOU) of the National Minimum Wage to the employer; how many of those employers receiving an NOU were exempt from his Department's revised naming and shaming scheme on the basis that the total arrears were less than £100; how many of those employers successfully appealed against being named or shamed; and how many of those employers have been publicly named or shamed under that scheme.
	tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
	tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
	uin	20688
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2016 answer text <p>Since October 2013, HMRC has commenced 1004 investigations into National Minimum Wage (NMW) compliance that resulted in the issuing of a Notice of Underpayment (NoU). Of those:</p><p>- 165 employers were exempt from the NMW naming scheme on the basis that the total arrears were less than £100;</p><p>- 27 have made successful representations under the scheme and have not been named; and.</p><p>- 398 employers have been named under the scheme.</p><p>Employers are not named at the point when an NoU is issued. Under the National Minimum Wage regulations, employers have 28 days to appeal against an NoU. They then have a further 14 days to make representations to BIS against being named. We are currently considering the next batch of cases and expect to name more employers shortly.</p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 18/01/2016 17:38:03 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
	tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

451160

	registered interest
	date	08/02/2016
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Minimum Wage
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the amount of financial penalties was for non-compliance with national minimum wage (a) imposed on and (b) paid by each of the 92 employers who were named and shamed by his Department for such non-compliance on 5 February 2015.
	tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
	tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
	uin	26318
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2016 answer text <p>We do not publish details of penalties in individual cases. The employers named in the February 5th round were issued with a combined total of over £629,000 in penalties. To date, 84 of the 92 employers have paid penalties. The remaining 8 are being pursued by HM Revenue and Customs compliance officers.</p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 08/03/2016 14:54:28 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
	tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas