The National Minimum Wage: rates and enforcement

This paper is no longer being updated. Library briefing The National Minimum Wage: Policy and developments includes more up to date information on this policy.

This briefing provides details of current and historic National Minimum Wage rates; discusses the introduction of the National Living Wage and different age-related rates; sets out the legislative mechanism for rate increases; explains the role of the Low Pay Commission; and discusses the various means of enforcing the National Minimum Wage.

The briefing is part of a series on the National Minimum Wage, including:

• Workers underpaid the minimum wage
• National Minimum Wage Statistics
• Economic impacts of the National Living Wage: in brief
• The National Minimum Wage: historical background
• The National Minimum Wage: volunteers and interns