HC Deb 15 July 1999 vol 335 c271W
21. Mr. Coaker

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he has taken to ensure that employers are complying with the national minimum wage.

Mr. Ian McCartney

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Warwick and Leamington (Mr. Plaskitt) today, column 557.

22. Angela Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the implementation of the national minimum wage for care home employees. [90030]

Mr. Ian McCartney

I have made no such assessment. The Government has asked the Low Pay Commission to monitor and evaluate the introduction and impact of the national minimum wage and to report by December. The Commission's terms of reference specifically require it to consider the impact on low-paying sectors and I understand that it has recently written to interested parties, including representatives of employers and employees in the care sector, inviting them to submit written evidence.