§ 96. Mr. Tom ClarkeTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has received the most recent report of the low pay unit; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NichollsMy right hon. Friend is aware of this report and of similar publications prepared by the low pay unit, which do not call for any comment from him.
§ Mr. McFallTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has received the low pay Unit report, "Ten Years On: The Poor Decade"; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NichollsMy right hon. Friend has seen this report and similar publications prepared by the low pay unit, which purport to show large increases in the numbers of low-paid people, based on the unit's own definition and quoting the so-called Council of Europe "decency threshold". The Government do not accept the validity of those calculations. Earnings and take-home pay have increased in real terms at all levels of income since 1979, and among both women and men.