§ Mr. EnnisTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will estimate how many workers in the 575W Barnsley, East and Mexborough constituency will benefit from the implementation of the national minimum wage. [73373]
§ Ms HewittI have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Jeff Ennis, dated 1 March 1999:
As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent question requesting information about the number of people who will benefit from the introduction of the national minimum wage in the Barnsley East and Mexborough constituency.The New Earnings Survey (NES) can provide earnings data for small geographical areas. Estimates of the proportion of people who are currently earning below the proposed minimum wage for a range of geographical areas have been placed in the House of Commons Library under the title of 'New Earnings Survey (NES) 1998—National Minimum Wage Distribution Tables'. However, figures for workers in Barnsley East and Mexborough earning less than the minimum wage are not given since the sample size is too small to provide reliable estimates.I will arrange for a copy of this letter to be placed in the Library.