Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage employers to pay their employees a real living wage in light of the finding in the report, UK Poverty 2023, published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on 26 January, that 11 per cent of all destitute respondents are in paid work.

The Government has accepted the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission to increase the National Living Wage to £11.44 an hour for workers aged 21 and over in April 2024 - meeting the manifesto target of two thirds of median earnings and ending low hourly pay for this group. National Minimum Wage rates for younger workers and apprentices will also increase significantly.

We commend employers who can pay more than the statutory minimum rates, but recognise that the ability to do so varies. The LPC takes into account affordability for business and the wider impact on the economy.