Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department took before the Summer Budget 2015 to assess and quantify the potential financial effect of the introduction of the National Living Wage on (a) publicly-funded social care and (b) other sectors.

The Government carried out an analysis of the impact of the National Living Wage, using a similar approach to that published by the Office for Budget Responsibility, which considered the implications at the business, sector and aggregate economy level.

The Government will publish a full impact assessment for the introduction of the National Living Wage alongside the implementing regulations. These regulations will be debated in both Houses of Parliament in time to come into force on 1 April 2016.