§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people entitled to the minimum wage are being paid less than the minimum wage in(a) the North West and (b) the UK. [91943]
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§ Ruth KellyThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Lindsay Hoyle, dated 20 January 2003:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question about the number of people paid less than Minimum Wage. I am replying in his absence. (91943)The latest available data, for April 2002, show an estimated 330,000 people in the United Kingdom being paid below the National Minimum Wage. This represents 1.3 per cent of all jobs. The corresponding figures for the North West were 40,000 and 1.6 per cent. These estimates cannot necessarily be used as a measure of non-compliance with the legislation as it is not possible discern from the available data whether an individual is eligible for minimum wage rates.