Written question asked by Lord Willis of Knaresborough (Liberal Democrat) on Friday, 28 March 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 9 April 2003. It was answered by Alan Johnson (Labour) on Wednesday, 9 April 2003 on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Dept of Trade and Industry

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many (a) adults and (b) employers were on the adult development rate of the national minimum wage in (i) 2001, (ii) 2002 and (iii) 2003; what the guidelines are for the operation of the adult development rate of the national minimum wage; what the guidelines are for payment of the national minimum wage. - Inc figures and ref to booklet, 'A Detailed Guide to the National Minimum Wage'.

Answer: Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many (a) adults and (b) employers were on the adult development rate of the national minimum wage in (i) 2001, (ii) 2002 and (iii) 2003; [106659] (2) what the guidelines are for the operation of the adult development rate of the national minimum wage; [106658] (3) what the guidelines are for payment of the national minimum wage. [106657] Alan Johnson: Around 60,000 adults were eligible for the older workers' Development Rate in both 2001 and 2002, according to data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). There are no LFS figures for 2003 available yet. Use of the older workers' Development Rate remains small. According to a survey of employers in low-paying sectors by the Low Pay Commission, 4 per cent. of employers said they used it. This is likely to be an over- estimate of the use of the Development Rate among employers in the economy as a whole. However, the Commission recommended in their recent report that, on balance, they thought the older workers' Development Rate should remain in place for the time being. Guidelines on the operation of the minimum wage are contained in the booklet, "A Detailed Guide to the National Minimum Wage", which is available from the Inland Revenue's National Minimum Wage helpline 0845-6000-678, and is also available on the Department of Trade and Industry's website at: www.dti.gov.uk/er/ nmw. I will send the hon. Member a copy.

Secondary information