Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2017 to Question 70317, what the total number of complaints of failure to pay wages received by ACAS was in April 2016 to March 2017.

Between April 2016 and March 2017, Acas received 24,204 applications for conciliation through the Wages Act jurisdiction.

In the same time period, Acas received 79,375 Helpline calls relating to ‘Wages & National Minimum Wage’. This recording category includes a number of associated wage issues not just failure to pay wages but does not disaggregate complaints from general enquiries. All complaints are forwarded to HM Revenue and Customs (my answer to Question 70317 refers). Acas will provide further advice to callers who work for insolvent companies where enforcement is not an option and to those who would prefer not to be referred for enforcement as they wish to consider their options or pursue their matter though another route such as Early Conciliation or the civil court.