Crawley MP, Henry Smith, has today welcomed an increase to adult and youth National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates.  The following rates will come into effect on 1 October 2013:

·         the adult rate will increase by 12p to £6.31 an hour

·         the rate for 18-20 year olds will increase by 5p to £5.03 an hour

·         the rate for 16-17 year olds will increase by 4p to £3.72 an hour

·         the apprentice rate will increase by 3p to £2.68 an hour.

·         the accommodation offset increases from the current £4.82 to £4.91

The Government has also concluded that the apprentice rate should be increased rather than frozen as recommended by the Low Pay Commission (LPC).

Henry commented:

“The increase in National Minimum Wage rates will be very welcome news for local working youths and adults alike and will help ease some of the pressure on hard pressed family finances.

“However, there’s worrying evidence that a significant number of employers aren’t paying apprentices the relevant minimum wage rate.  Apprenticeships are at the heart of the Government’s goal to support a stronger economy, and so it’s important to continue to make them attractive to young people. Therefore, Ministers aren’t taking forward the LPC’s recommendation to freeze the apprenticeship rate due to non-compliance, but instead are raising it in line with the youth rates.

“I understand that Ministers are working on a series of tough new measures to ensure they tackle non-compliance issues across the board.”

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