To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to ensure that employers comply with Government guidelines relating to minimum wages for hairdressers and trainee hairdressers.

Hairdressers are covered by the Hairdressing Undertakings Wages Council (Great Britain), and workers aged 21 years and over must be paid at least the statutory minimum remuneration agreed by that Council. The wages inspectorate provides information about the requirements of the Wages Act 1986 and checks that establishments comply with the law. A leaflet on the wages council system is freely available to all inquirers.