HC Deb 03 February 2004 vol 417 c781W
John Barrett

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of low pay levels in the(a) catering, (b) tourism and (c) leisure sectors; and if she will make a statement. [150976]

Mr. Sutcliffe

According to the April 2003 grossed New Earnings Survey the bottom decile hourly earnings of employees in(a) the catering sector (SIC code 55.5) was £4.23 (b) tourism related industries (SIC codes 55.1, 55.2, 55.3, 55.4, 63.3., 92.5, 92.6, 92.7) was £4.20 and for (c) sports and leisure assistants (SOC 2000 code 6211) was £4.20. This compares to the bottom decile hourly earnings of £4.67 for all employees in the UK. The adult and youth rates of the National Minimum Wage at the time were £4.20 and £3.60 respectively.

The vast majority of employers in the UK are complying with the National Minimum Wage but we will continue to take enforcement action where necessary to tackle the minority of bad employers.