§ Mr. SalmondTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people between the ages of 18 and 21 years are entitled to receive the minimum wage in(a) Scotland and (b) the United Kingdom. [159853]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Alex Salmond, dated 2 May 2001:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question about the number of 18 to 21 year olds in Scotland and the United Kingdom who are entitled to receive the minimum wage (NMW) (159853).672WAll 18 to 21 year olds who are in employment are entitled to NMW rates, except those on apprenticeships. For people aged 19 and above, exemption from the NMW is only for the first year of the apprenticeship.The latest Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates, for winter 2000 (not seasonally adjusted), show that there are 1,800,000 18 to 21 year olds in employment in the UK and 169,000 in Scotland. Among these, further LFS estimates available for the UK, but not for Scotland, show that 43,000 18 year olds on apprenticeships would not be entitled to receive NMW rates. A further 73,000 19 to 21 year olds in the UK were on apprenticeships, but no information is available about the number of these in the first year of their apprenticeship who would not be entitled to receive NMW rates.