§ John BarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 3 February 2004,Official Report, column 781W, on wage levels, how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful prosecutions have been brought against employers found not to be complying with the national minimum wage in each year since the introduction of the national minimum wage. [154008]
§ Mr. SutcliffeThe Inland Revenue has a range of enforcement tools at its disposal but successfully resolves the great majority of cases through conciliation1624W without enforcement action being needed. As a result, to date there have been no criminal prosecutions in relation the underpayment of the minimum wage.