§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how many people in full-time employment in the United Kingdom earn less than the minimum hourly wage rates in each country of the European Union. [10637]
Mr. John M. TaylorInformation in the form requested can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, the number of full- time employees in Great144W Britain earning less than the minimum hourly wage rates in those European Union countries which have a statutory national minimum wage is contained in the following table:
National minimum hourly wage Number of full-time workers in Great Britain earning less than the minimum rate2 Country £ Sterling equivalent1 Millions Belgium 5.46 6.19 France 4.84 4.78 Greece 1.82 0.27 Luxembourg 5.51 6.31 Netherlands 5.04 5.24 Portugal 1.30 0.15 Spain 2.00 0.29 1Market exchange rates of 17 January 1996 were used. 2Derived from the Labour Force Survey—Summer 1995.