asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the largest industrial amount of illegal underpayment of wages in the last year for which figures are available; how many employees were affected; and what was the outcome of the operation.
It is not possible to identify the largest underpayment from central records. Each of over 11,000 inspection records would need to be examined. The information could not, therefore, be obtained without incurring disproportionate costs.
asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many employers were found to be illegally paying low wages in each of the last five years: and how many were prosecuted in each year.
The following is the information required:
| Year | Number of Establishments Underpaying Wages | Number of Prosecutions |
| 1976 | 8,993 | — |
| 1975 | 8,468 | 2 |
| 1974 | 6,347 | 2 |
| 1973 | 7,524 | — |
| 1972 | 6,584 | — |
asked the Secretary of State for Employment under what circumstances prosecutions are brought for the illegal underpayment of wages.
In the case of first offenders, prosecution is considered only if the offence is flagrant. In the case of other offenders, prosecution is always considered, but it is sometimes not possible to proceed because workers are unwilling to give evidence.
asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he expects to publish the results of the Wages Inspectorate "low-pay blitz" on Wolverhampton.
I will reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.