Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the Government is taking to address the rural premium faced by workers in North East Hampshire; and what assessment his Department has made of the extent to which higher rural living costs are reflected in the setting of the National Living Wage.

This government is responsible for setting the statutory minimum National Living Wage (NLW) which applies to all employers across the UK. A key strength of the NLW is its administrative simplicity, with consistent rates applying across the country.

When setting rates, we carefully consider the independent and expert advice of the Low Pay Commission (LPC). The government asks the LPC to use two-thirds of UK median earnings as a key reference point, alongside a range of other factors, including the cost of living.

Our published impact assessment estimates around 270,000 workers in the South East received a pay rise due to increases in the NLW on 1 April 2026. More granular estimates are not available, due to greater data reliability issues given survey response rates.