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Dept of Trade and Industry

Answer

Ms Christine Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to prevent employers from ignoring the national minimum wage. [95860] Mr. Alan Johnson: National Minimum Wage (NMW) Inspectors have dealt with over 3,000 cases of suspected underpayment of the minimum wage. Every call is followed up, including anonymous calls and third party tip-offs. In addition, Inspectors are now targeting low paying employers based on detailed risk analysis. Changes to the law mean that our Inspectors are now able to use information gathered for income tax, Nl and Working Families Tax Credit purposes. The Government recognises that it is vital that employers are aware of their obligations under the law. In January this year the Inland Revenue included information about the NMW in their employer's annual pack, which was sent to all 1.2 million tax-registered employers. In March, once the Regulations had been approved by Parliament, we made detailed guidance available, along with leaflets for employers and employees. So far over 1 million copies of the guidance and leaflets have been sent out to individuals and organisations, as well as many thousands which have been downloaded from the minimum wage website. Around £5 million was spent on advertising the minimum wage in March and April. Independent research shows the campaign met or exceeded the targets set; awareness of the minimum wage following advertising peaked at 95 per cent. among employers.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

95860; 337 c278-9W

Session

1998-99

Question not reached

Yes

Subjects

Employment Inspections Enforcement Minimum wage

Contains statistics

Yes