Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints HMRC has received of employers (a) advertising unpaid internships and (b) not paying the minimum wage in the last 12 months.

Everyone entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) should receive it.

All businesses, irrespective of size or business sector, are responsible in law for paying the correct minimum wage to their staff.

HMRC actively promote compliance by working with both employers and workers to raise awareness of the employers’ obligations and workers’ rights in respect of NMW. This includes scanning the internet for adverts with a view to making contact where a business may appear to be non-compliant with its NMW obligations.

HMRC do not hold a record of employers advertising for unpaid internships but in the last 12 months has received 40 complaints relating to issues affecting interns. The total number of complaints received by HMRC in the last 12 months is 3,972.