Minimum Wage (Hansard, 10 May 2000)

§ Mr. Alan Johnson

[holding answer 20 April 2000]The impact on the cost of departmental salaries were the national minimum wage for all ages to be raised to:

(a) £4 per hour would be £258;
(b) £4.20 per hour would be £6,356 and
(c) £4.50 per hour would be £23,722.

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These figures relate to DTI Headquarters' Directorates only. I have asked the Chief Executives of the Department's agencies to respond to the hon. Member directly.

The information in respect of Non-Departmental Public Bodies could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Letter from J. S. Holden to Mr. Andrew Welsh, dated 9 May 2000: I have been asked to reply to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in respect of Companies House Executive Agency. No one in Companies House is paid below the current minimum wage. but if it were increased the impact to our salaries would be as follows:

(a) Increase of £45,202 should the minimum wage be increased to £4 per hour
(b) Increase of £103,278 should the minimum wage be increased to £4.20 per hour
(c) Increase of £205,160 should the minimum wage be increased to £4.50 per hour.

Letter from David Hendon to Mr. Andrew Welsh, dated 9 May 2000: I am replying to your question on behalf of the Radiocommunications Agency. Raising the minimum wage to £4, £4.20, or £4.50 an hour would have no impact on the Radiocommunications Agency's salary bill.

Letter from Peter Joyce to Mr. Andrew Welsh, dated 9 May 2000: The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply to your question about the estimated impact on the cost of departmental salaries of The Insolvency Service were the national minimum wage for all ages to be raised to (a) £4, (b) £4.20) and (c) £4.50 per hour. Based on the salaries of current staff in post, the estimated annual cost to The Insolvency Service would be (a) £26,028, (b) £52,994 and (c) £95,054.

Letter from T. M. Ridley to Mr. Andrew Welsh, dated 10 May 2000: The Chairman has asked me to respond to Mr. Counsell's letter of 27^th April. For the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), increases in the National Minimum Wage of £4, £4.20, or £4.50 per hour would have no effect on salary costs.

Letter from Alison Brimelow to Mr. Andrew Welsh dated 9 May 2000: Parliamentary Question: 1999/1835 The estimate of the impact on the cost of Patent Office Agency salaries were the national minimum wage for all ages to be raised to £4, £4.20 or £4.50 per hour, would be £8,000, £34,000 and £73,000 respectively.

Letter from Ian Jones to Mr. Andrew Welsh, dated 9 May 2000: You tabled a Parliamentary Question on 18 April 2000 to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry concerning the impact on departmental salaries if the National Minimum Wage were raised to £4, £4.20 & £4.50. I have been asked to reply in respect of the Employment Tribunals Service (ETS) which is an executive agency of the DTI.

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The approximate cost to ETS if the national minimum wage for all ages were raised is as follows:

Hourly increase	Annual basic rate	Total cost
£4 per hour	£8,736	£669
£4.20 per hour	£9,173	£3,312
£4.50 per hour	£9,828	£11,212

If there is further information you would like to have, please let me know.

Letter from Seton Bennet to Mr. Andrew Welsh, dated 9 May 2000: The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply on behalf of NWML to your question regarding the impact on the cost of Departmental salaries were the national minimum wage for all ages to be raised to (a) £4, (b) £4.20 and (c) £4.50 per hour. This would have zero impact on the cost of salaries at the National Weights and Measures Laboratory as we have no staff paid at national minimum wage levels.