Living Wage
(asked on 30th November 2016) - View Source
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions his Department has had with small and medium-sized businesses on the potential effect on productivity of the proposed increase in the national living wage announced in the Autumn Statement 2016.
My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State has not had specific discussions with small and medium sized businesses on the potential effect on productivity of the proposed increase in the National Living Wage. However, the Secretary of State, and other Ministers in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy regularly meet with representatives from employers of all sizes, including to discuss the potential impacts of the National Living Wage.
In its remit to the Low Pay Commission, the Government asks it to monitor and evaluate the National Living Wage and in making recommendations it is asked to consider the pace of the increase, taking into account the state of the economy, employment and unemployment levels, and relevant policy changes. The LPC recently published its autumn 2016 report, which summarises its consultation with a wide range of business stakeholders on the impact of the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage. The report is available here: