§ 74. Ms. RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many firms visited in 1989 were paying below the legal wages council minima; and how many were prosecuted.
§ Mr. NichollsThe wages inspectorate compiles its statistics on the basis of establishments rather than firms. In 1989, 5,528 of the establishments visited were found to be paying less than the statutory minimum due to at least one of their workers.
There were nine prosecutions for underpayment offences.