Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) direct employees, (b) outsourced workers and (c) workers in agencies which report to her Department are paid less than the Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

There are no direct employees paid less than the Living Wage in core Defra, AHVLA, VMD and RPA.

In FERA there are 11 and in CEFAS 7 directly employed members of staff on apprenticeship schemes who are paid below the Living Wage.

207 people are known to be employed on contracts in Defra and the executive agencies where the contractors pay less than the Living Wage.