Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support local authorities to tackle non-compliance with the National Minimum Wage.

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) enforce the National Minimum Wage on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). In 2016/17, HMRC identified £10.9m of underpayments, owed to 98,000 workers. The enforcement budget has been increased to £25.3m for 2017/18.

Effective communications are an integral part of our strategy for promoting compliance. Both BEIS and HMRC provide information and guidance to help employers ensure they are compliant, and we encourage Local Authorities and other agencies to use these resources and others to support employer compliance.