§ Mr. Ian TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment she has made of the impact on the budget of the DSS of any given levels of minimum wage. [3743]
§ Mr. FieldWe will ask the independent Low Pay Commission, before it reaches a recommendation on the level at which the National Minimum Wage might be set, to take into account all the economic circumstances, including its likely impact. We will not speculate about the possible effects of hypothetical levels before the Commission has had a chance to consider the issues.