Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of employees hired under the Employment Allowance Scheme are paid below the living wage as set by the Living Wage Foundation.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 1 May 2014, official report Column 796W.

The information requested is not available.

The Employment Allowance is available to businesses and charities and is worth up to £2,000 off their total employer Class 1 National Insurance contributions (NICs) bill.

Employers are likely to use the NICs savings from the allowance in a variety of ways. Research by the Federation of Small Businesses suggests that employers may use these savings to increase wages, employ more staff or invest in their business.