§ 15. Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many employers were found to be illegally underpaying and how many of them were prosecuted in the latest available year by the wages inspectorate divisions covering the east midlands.
§ Mr. CopeI refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mrs. Golding).
§ Mr. AllenIs the Minister aware that the midlands inspectorate is based in my constituency and that when the Government came to power there were 26 inspectors, but now there are only 10? Will he visit that establishment and explain to the people why there has been a reduction in the numbers of inspectors when more than 4,000 cases of underpayment have been reported, but only nine have been prosecuted? When will the Government start to prosecute those people instead of harbouring them?
§ Mr. CopeI do not think that the hon. Gentleman was listening to the reply that I gave earlier about the increase in the ratio of prosecutions to underpaying employers since the Labour Government left office. The level of compliance in the midlands has not varied significantly over the years.
§ Mr. TredinnickIs my hon. Friend aware that in my midlands constituency employers are offering wages above the average because of severe skill shortages?
§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursCan I have an honest answer to my simple question? A large number of households in my constituency—families with children—have incomes of less than £100 a week. If I were an elector in my constituency I could not live on that sum. Could the Minister?