§ Lord Tebbitasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Sainsbury of Turville on 7 April (WA 11), in the absence of a definition of family in the National Minimum Wage Regulations 1999, what criteria are used by Inland Revenue officials in deciding whether particular individuals for whom exemption from National Minimum Wage Regulations 1999 is sought are members of a family. [HL2151]
§ Lord Sainsbury of TurvilleInland Revenue officials will use the ordinary dictionary definition of 'family' when coming to a judgment regarding the appropriate application of the exemption, as is the normal practice when a word is not specifically defined in legislation. This has not caused any problems for enforcers. If problems do arise in establishing whether certain individuals count as family members, each case will be judged on individual merits. Any dispute would be resolved by an employment tribunal or court in the normal way.