Employment Bill [Lords]

I have already given the House some figures on non-compliance. As I said, 1,649 employers were found to be non-compliant last year and the average arrears per worker are £202. For someone earning £5.52 an hour on the minimum wage, £202 is a lot of money, which is precisely why we want to strengthen the enforcement regime to send a clear signal that arrears should not be regarded as an interest-free loan from employers to employees but should attract a penalty when discovered.