§ 30. Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what representations she has received on the acceptance by jobcentres of advertisements for jobs paying less than £2 an hour. [11758]
§ Mr. ForthInformation on the representations to the Secretary of State about vacancies accepted by jobcentres with wages of less than £2 an hour is not collected centrally.
The Employment Service, in dealing with vacancies notified by employers to jobcentres, does not have a general policing role on pay since such matters are normally for agreement between employers and workers. However, when employers are offering low wages, people in jobcentres will advise employers about the local prevailing rates of pay for the job and that their vacancy may be difficult to fill.
Since wages councils were abolished, there is now no legal reason why jobcentres could refuse to service an employer's vacancy because of low pay.