Asked by: Pat McFadden (Labour - Wolverhampton South East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) direct employees, (b) contractors, and (c) agency workers who work in their Department and relevant agencies and public bodies, receive a wage below that of either (i) the UK Real Living Wage outside of Greater London, or (ii) the London Living Wage inside of Greater London, as determined by the Living Wage Foundation.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
As of 6 July 2022, and taking into account relevant allowances such as London Weighting, the following organisations have direct employees (including apprentices) on wages lower than the Living Wage Foundation published rates. Where numbers in an organisation are below five individuals, this has been redacted at organisation level but included in overall totals.
Organisation | London | National | Total |
Animal and Plant Health Agency | 0 | 0 | 0 |
CEFAS | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Consumer Council for Water | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defra | 11 | 0 | 0 |
Environment Agency | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Forestry Commission | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Joint Nature Conservancy Council | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kew | 80 | 0 | 80 |
Marine Management Organisation | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Natural England | 0 | 95 | 95 |
Ofwat | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rural Payments Agency | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 91 | 104 | 195 |
For Natural England, a pay review is due with effect from 1 July which will uplift all employees above the Living Wage Foundation published rates.
For the Consumer Council for Water, with effect from 11 July, due to a change in responsibilities, no employees will remain below the Living Wage Foundation threshold.
Wage information relating to contractors is not held. The Agency Workers Regulations 2010 are complied with by all organisations, which ensure parity of pay for agency workers with rates paid to employees. As pay and conditions are set between employee and employer, records are not held on Agencies and/or Contractors. The Crown Commercial Service’s frameworks set a minimum requirement of the current legislative amounts allowed by employers to pay, which all suppliers must adhere to when negotiating contracts with Government Departments.
This government is committed to paying people a decent living wage, which is being addressed through the statutory National Living Wage. In April 2022, the National Living Wage increased to £9.50 per hour. By 2024, the Government has committed that the National Living Wage will reach 66% of median UK earnings.
The Government will always award contracts on the basis of the best value for money for the taxpayer.