Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many staff in his Department that work (a) inside and (b) outside Greater London are paid at a rate below the Real Living Wage.

Other than short-term interns, no directly employed staff are paid less than the hourly rate of pay determined by the Real Living Wage.

The Department follows the Government's best practice guidance relating to the minimum wage, work experience and internships and Living Wage accreditation does not require employers to pay the Living Wage to volunteers, apprentices or interns. At the end of August 2018 the Department employed 12 summer interns on contracts lasting no longer than 12 weeks. Interns employed on this basis, both inside and outside of Greater London, earned at least £9.36 per hour which is above the recommended national minimum wage of £7.38 per hour.