Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many apprentices in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland were paid the apprentice rate of the national minimum wage in the last year for which figures are available.

Information on apprenticeship pay in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is published in research findings from the Apprenticeship Pay Survey. The most recent survey covers apprentices working in 2012:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-pay-survey-2012

In England, 71 per cent of apprentices received on or above the minimum amount they should get based on their year and/or age. In Wales the figure was 82 per cent

The 2014 Apprenticeship Pay Survey will be published in December 2014.

The report does not show how many apprentices under 19 earned less than £90 per week, as it does not link hours worked to pay rates. However, the mean average hourly rate for apprentices under 19 was £3.77 in England and Wales and £3.34 in Northern Ireland.