Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what value of penalties has been issued to each employer found to be non-compliant with National Minimum Wage legislation since 7 March 2014; and what amount of arrears each such employer owed.

Since 7 March 2014, the Government has recovered arrears of almost £5.9 million and issued penalties of almost £1.4m. Where consistent with our naming policy the Government has made public the names of employers who have failed to pay their employees the National Minimum Wage, including the value of the arrears. Details of the latest naming and shaming announcement are available here - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/national-minimum-wage-offenders-named-and-shamed

Evidence from other HMRC campaigns suggests those who voluntarily change behaviour can remain compliant for longer. Under the operation of the NMW Campaign launched in July, employers who are in breach of NMW regulations must formally notify HMRC of their participation in the campaign and then complete a full disclosure within two months. Employers must declare details of the arrears to allow HMRC to check and accept that pay has been corrected. HMRC is using a range of information sources to monitor whether the reported self-correction matches the details submitted by the employer. Where appropriate, HMRC will investigate and challenge employer action.