Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2024 to Question 4008 on Childcare: Recruitment, what steps his Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) enforce the payment of the National Living Wage in the early education and childcare sector.

The Government is clear that anyone entitled to the minimum wage should receive it. Robust enforcement action is taken against employers who do not pay their staff correctly.

HMRC enforces the minimum wage on behalf of DBT, and they investigate where they believe an employer is not paying the minimum wage. This includes considering all complaints from workers, conducting proactive enforcement activities in sectors considered high risk, and delivering educational activity to support employer compliance.