HC Deb 27 January 2003 vol 398 c676W
Pete Wishart

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the impact of increasing the minimum wage(a) in line with average earnings, (b) to £4.17 per hour, (c) to £4.87 per hour, (d) to £5.00 per hour and (e) to £5.30 per hour, on the cost of salaries of departmental employees (i) in total and (ii) for each nation of the United Kingdom in the next financial year. [90607]

Mr. Lammy

We are unable to provide data on the impact of increasing the minimum wage in line with average earnings as these statistics are not collected centrally.

There would be no impact on the Department of Health of increasing the minimum wage by the amounts listed.

The minimum wage in the Department of Health, as of August 2002, is 11,100 (Full time equivalent).

For staff based in London (36 hours per week) this works out to be 5.90 per hour.

For staff based outside of London (37 hours per week) this works out to be 5.74 per hour.