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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the increase in the National Living wage announced by the Government on 31 December 2019, what discussions he is having with private sector companies undertaking facility management work for his Department to ensure that the cost of wage increases for their employees are not passed on to his Department.

Information on rates of pay for people working for the Department’s third-party contractors is not held centrally. Rates of pay for people working for third-party contractors are determined by their respective employers and this information is not held by the Department in any format. Employment contracts for staff providing facilities management services to the Department are the responsibility of the relevant third-party contractors.