Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the report Enforcing the National Minimum Wage - Keeping up the Pressure, published by the TUC in January 2015, and pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2014 to Question 218677, what recent steps his Department has taken to (a) proactively investigate care providers who do not pay their employees the National Minimum Wage and (b) investigate complaints made by care workers to the Pay and Rights Helpline.

The Government takes the enforcement of National Minimum Wage very seriously. Any worker who believes that they are being paid below the minimum wage should make a complaint to the Pay & Work Rights Helpline (PWRH) on 0800 917 2368.

HMRC review every complaint referred to them by the PWRH and, in addition, collate and analyse data from various sources to identify employers more likely not to be paying National Minimum Wage and undertake targeted enforcement against those employers.

However, some complaints may not lead to the commencement of an investigation. This might be due to incomplete information being provided, or the worker subsequently wishing to withdraw their complaint. Similarly, multiple complaints about the same employer would only be recorded under one investigation. HMRC do not record statistics by complaints received, but by investigations completed.

As stated above, HMRC review every complaint they receive from the PWRH. I refer the honorable member to the response given to UIN 220731 for details of HMRC’s current proactive work.