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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that charity staff are paid at least the living wage.

The National Living Wage is the minimum rate of hourly pay workers aged 25 and over are entitled to by law. Workers younger than 25 should receive at least the National Minimum Wage rate, which varies according to their age and whether they are an apprentice or not.

Everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) or National Living Wage (NLW) should receive it. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigates every complaint it receives and workers can call the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) Helpline (on 0300 123 1100) for information and guidance about the NMW, or visit their website (www.acas.org.uk).

The Government continues to invest heavily in minimum wage enforcement, increasing the budget to £25.3 million for 2017/18, up from £13 million in 2015/16 and is committed to driving compliance across all sectors of the economy.