§ Mr. Peter BottomleyTo ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to her oral statement of 18 June 1998,Official Report, columns 507–19, what research underlay her statement that there would be no employment effects consequent on her minimum wage proposals; and what factors underlie the estimates made by the Low Pay Commission. [47236]
§ Mr. Ian McCartneyThe Government's assessment was based on a wide range of econometric studies. The independent Low Pay Commission, which undertook a comprehensive consultation exercise and examined a wide body of published research on the effect of national minimum wages, concluded that a national minimum wage set at a sensible level, as we propose, should not have an adverse effect on employment.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if the minimum wage legislation will allow a worker to agree to be paid(a) nothing, (b) a rate between nothing and the minimum and (c) nothing for some hours or functions and the minimum for other hours or functions. [47322]
§ Mr. Ian McCartneyWe have accepted the Low Pay Commission's recommendation that workers will be paid at least the national minimum wage for all hours worked and for all hours when they are at work and available for work. All workers will be covered by the minimum wage legislation apart from the genuinely self-employed and voluntary workers.