Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of increasing the (a) national minimum wage and (b) national living wage in line with inflation.

We have set out an ambitious target for the minimum wage to reach 2/3 of median earnings by 2024 subject to wider economic conditions. It is important that increases are evidence-based, sustainable and affordable for business. That is why we consider the expert and independent advice of the Low Pay Commission when increasing the rates as setting the minimum wage too high may lead to higher unemployment and harm the very people the policy is intended to help.