Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many employees of his Department earn less than the Living Wage as increased by the Living Wage Foundation on 5 November 2018.

The UK Living Wage (sometimes referred to as the ‘Real Living Wage’) and the London Living Wage, are both voluntary rates set by the Living Wage Foundation. These are not statutory figures which relate to the government policy in this area, and so are not legally binding on employers. The statutory minimum rates are the National Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage. For comparison, the National Living Wage is currently £7.83 per hour, and increased by 4.4% in April 2018. The increases in the National Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage have produced increases for over 2 million workers this year, across the economy, and increased pay by £2,000 for those on the minimum rate, since these statutory arrangements were introduced. All MoJ employees are paid at least the National Minimum Wage and the National Living Wage.

1643 staff employed by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ HQ, HMCTS, LAA, OPG and CICA) and 561 by HMPPS who work outside Greater London are paid at a rate below the Real National Living Wage of £9 per hour.

517 staff employed by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ HQ, HMCTS, LAA, OPG and CICA) and 27 by HMPPS who work inside Greater London are paid a rate below the London Living wage of £10.55 per hour.