HC Deb 07 February 1995 vol 254 cc176-7W
20. Mr. Hawkins

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment he has made of the effects of a minimum wage in the tourism industry.

Mr. Oppenheim

Statutory minimum wages destroy jobs. This is as true of the tourism industry as it is of any other sector of the economy.

Mr. MacShane

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will place in the Library the notes of his meeting in Davos with Mr. Alphandery with particular reference to the subject of a minimum wage.

Mr. Portillo

I took part in a round-table discussion on unemployment and under-employment at the world economic forum in Davos at which Mr. Alphandery and others were present. A full note of the meeting has not been produced to the best of my knowledge. A one-page summary of the meeting has been published by the world economic forum and I shall arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library.

25. Mrs. Lait

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment he has made of the effects of a statutory minimum wage on the employment prospects of unemployed people.

Mr. Oppenheim

A statutory minimum wage would destroy jobs and job prospects. Its effects on the employment prospects of unemployed people would undoubtedly be disastrous.