Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of hours worked by people (a) in public bodies and (b) employed as subcontractors who deliver public services and paid from the public purse who are paid at the rates applicable for the (i) national living wage for those aged 23 and over, (ii) national minimum wage for those aged 21 or 22, (iii) national minimum wage for those aged 18 to 20, (iv) the national minimum wage for those aged under 18 and (v) national minimum wage at the apprentice rate as at 1 April 2021; and if he will make a statement.

Departments and workforces set levels of pay in compliance with National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage legislation. Remuneration for private sector employees are set independently of Government, although they must also comply with the relevant legislation.

Data is not held centrally on the pay distribution of all people who deliver public services.

Latest published survey data, see below, has the distribution of hourly pay for public sector workers, comprising of workers working in organisations defined as Public Corporation, Central Government or Local Authority.

Hourly pay - Gross (£) - For all employee jobs: United Kingdom, ASHE 2020 (provisional)

Link: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/publicandprivatesectorashetable13

Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. Estimates for 2020 include employees who have been furloughed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS).