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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the level of the minimum wage on (a) child, (b) fuel, (c) food and (d) other forms of poverty in the next three years.

In April 2023, the Government will increase the National Living Wage by 9.7% to £10.42, remaining on track to achieve the manifesto commitment for it to reach two-thirds of median earnings by 2024. The National Minimum Wage rates, designed for younger workers, will increase by a similar amount.

We expect the increases to the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage to give a pay rise to over 2.5 million workers, supporting the lowest paid and most vulnerable in our society. For example, a full-time worker on the National Living Wage will see their annual earnings rise by over £1,600.