Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2018 to Question 120608, on Minimum Wage, how many employers HMRC initiated civil action against in pursuit of unpaid minimum wage arrears in each year since 2010; and what the total sum of unpaid minimum wage arrears recovered through civil action is.

The government are determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum and National Living Wage (NMW) receives it. Anyone who feels they have been underpaid NMW should contact the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) review all complaints that are referred to them.

HMRC actively pursues recovery through the civil courts if the arrears are not paid. The table below shows the number of employers HMRC initiated civil action against to recover unpaid minimum wage arrears due to workers:

HMRC is unable to provide a total sum for civil recovery across all cases, as it does not hold this data in a readily available format.