Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many employers were prosecuted for not paying employees the National Living Wage in (a) 2023 and (b) 2024.

HMRC’s priority is to ensure that workers receive the money they are owed as quickly as possible. It is for this reason, in the vast majority of cases, HMRC pursue civil enforcement. In 2023/24 civil enforcement resulted in HMRC issuing 767 Notices of Underpayment to employers. 2024/25 figures are not yet available.

However, for the most egregious breaches of National Minimum Wage law, where employers are persistently non-compliant, or refuse to cooperate with HMRC, criminal prosecution may take place.

The number of employers prosecuted specifically for breaching Section 31(1) “Employer refuses or wilfully neglects to pay NMW” in (a) 2023/24 was 1 and (b) 2024/25 was 1.