Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which (a) Executive Agencies, (b) non-ministerial government departments and (c) non-departmental public bodies are accredited by the National Living Wage Foundation in relation to paying the real living wage.
Answered by Oliver Dowden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The UK Living Wage and London Living Wage figures, produced by the Living Wage Foundation, form the basis of their accreditation scheme. These are not statutory figures, and are not therefore legally binding on employers. It is not the policy of the UK government that departments and agencies are required to apply these Living Wage Foundation rates, or to seek accreditation. Instead a statutory National Living Wage is applied for all employees over the age of 25, and National Minimum Wage rates for those under 25, through a policy produced by BEIS and audited and enforced by HMRC.
Remuneration for all grades below the Senior Civil Service is delegated to individual departments, executive agencies and other organisations. While organisations must comply with the statutory minimum rates, it is for each one to determine pay above this level, and whether or not to match the rates set by the Living Wage Foundation.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government has plans to include in the 2021 census a question that records where multiple languages are being spoken in a household.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.