Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many employers were prosecuted in 2009-10 and 2010-11 for failing to pay the National Minimum Wage.

The Government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) receives it. Anyone who feels they have been underpaid NMW or NLW should contact the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) reviews all complaints that are referred to it.

There were no prosecutions in 2009/10 and one in 2010/11. There have been 13 successful prosecutions for NMW offences since 2007, with 4 of these in the 2016 calendar year. However, prosecutions are not necessarily the best approach to ensuring that workers benefit from enforcement activities as criminal sanctions against companies usually mean that their workers end up waiting longer for their lost earnings to be paid back.