§ Mr. LoveTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many successful prosecutions for failure to pay the national minimum wage there have been in(a) the London Borough of Enfield, (b) Greater London and (c) the United Kingdom since its introduction; and if she will make a statement. [78088]
§ Dawn PrimaroloI have been asked to reply.
The National Minimum Wage Act 1998 contains a number of provisions empowering enforcement officers to take civil action against non-paying employers and the Inland Revenue always use these in the first instance.
Since the minimum wage was introduced in April 1999 the Inland Revenue has issued around 450 enforcement notices requiring employers to start paying the minimum wage and make good any arrears, and identified over £11 million in arrears. A minority of disputed cases have been considered by employment tribunals. To date there have been no criminal prosecutions in relation to underpayment of the minimum wage.