Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Kevin Brennan and Damian Hinds

Tuesday 16th June 2015 Commons Chamber

[Damian Hinds]

My hon. Friend is right to highlight the broad benefit of our policy. Increases in the personal allowance and the higher-rate threshold during the current Parliament will benefit 30 million people. It is not possible to make reliable projections for an individual parliamentary constituency, but I can tell my hon. Friend that 2.28 million taxpayers in the west midlands have benefited from personal allowance increases to date, and that a typical basic-rate taxpayer is £825 better off.

[Kevin Brennan (Cardiff West) (Lab)]

Apart from specific tax steps, what steps is the Minister taking to ensure that employers actually pay the minimum wage?

[Damian Hinds]

Minimum wage compliance is, of course, vital, and work in that regard is ongoing. Universal credit encourages people to work more hours, and, in general, they should be doing higher-paid work.