§ Mr. Alan JohnsonTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement concerning the appointment of members to serve on the Low Pay Commission. [11225]
§ Mrs. BeckettMy right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has appointed the following individuals to serve on the Low Pay Commission which will advise the Government on the rate at which the national minimum wage might be set
807WDavid Metcalf: Professor of Economics at the London School of EconomicsStephanie Monk: Director of Human resources for the Granada GroupPaul Gates: General Secretary of the Knitwear, Footwear and Apparel Trades Union (KFAT)John Cridland: Director of Human Resources Policy for the CBIRita Donaghy: Member of the National Executive Council of UNISONLawrence Dewar: Chief Executive of the Scottish Grocers' FederationBill Callaghan: Head of the TUC Economic and Social Affairs DepartmentWilliam Brown: Professor of Industrial Relations, Cambridge UniversityProfessor George Bain will chair the commission.The national minimum wage is one of the Government's top priorities and for that reason we have moved quickly to put the commission in place. We advertised nationally for applications to the commission and were gratified by the large response and the high quality of the candidates. I am confident that, with such a high-quality membership, the commission will be able to go about its work effectively and successfully.