National Minimum Wage Rates

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We recommend that the adult rate of the minimum wage should be increased from £5.35 to £5.52 in October 2007. (Paragraph 7.44)

We recommend that the Youth Development Rate should increase from £4.45 to £4.60 and the 16­17 year old rate should increase from £3.30 to £3.40. (Paragraph 7.46)

Young People

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We recommend again that 21 year olds should be entitled to the adult rate of the National Minimum Wage. (Paragraph 5.54)

Training

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We reiterate our earlier recommendation that the Government invite us to carry out a full review of the apprentice and pre-apprentice exemptions and report in 2008. (Paragraph 5.67)

Awareness

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We recommend that the Government work more collaboratively with other organisations to raise awareness of the minimum wage. (Paragraph 6.11)

Enforcement

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We recommend that the Government, as part of its enforcement programme, choose a low-paying sector to target in 2007/08 that has a high concentration of migrant workers. (Paragraph 6.44)

We recommend that, as a deterrent to non-compliance, the Government introduce a penalty to apply to any employer found to have underpaid the minimum wage. (Paragraph 6.59)

Social Care

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We recommend again that the Government continue to make clear that the commissioning policies of local authorities should reflect the costs of care provision. We emphasise, in particular, the need for the Government to monitor actively how far practice matches policy, to examine the reasons for any uneven provision, and, if appropriate, to provide further guidance. (Paragraph 3.73)

Accommodation Offset

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We recommend that the accommodation offset should increase to £4.30 per day in October 2007. (Paragraph 4.72)

Future Reviews

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We recommend that the Government ask us to report in early 2008 on recommended rates for October 2008. (Paragraph 7.45)