HC Deb 19 March 2001 vol 365 cc34-5W
Dr. Kumar

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many(a) male and (b) female workers in Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East constituency receive the national minimum wage; and how many workers in Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East constituency will benefit from the forthcoming uprating of the national minimum wage. [154434]

Miss Melanie Johnson

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell to Dr. Ashok Kumar, dated 19 March 2001:

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question about the number of male workers and female workers in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency who receive the national minimum wage (NMW) and the number who will benefit from the uprating of the NMW (154434). I am replying in his absence.

The Office for National Statistics has published estimates of the number of jobs paid at less than specific hourly pay thresholds for all workers in the United Kingdom for Spring 2000, disaggregated by gender. These estimates are based on an improved methodology

using data from the New Earnings Survey (NES) and Labour Force Survey (LFS). This methodology provides the best estimates for the number of jobs in the UK paid below low hourly rate thresholds. These estimates are posted on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/nsbase/themes/labour_market/ nmw_lowpay_tables.asp.

The new methodology has been developed to overcome the deficiencies inherent in the two surveys, the NES and LFS, in measuring low pay. Estimates based on this methodology are not available for the area requested.