To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what information his Department holds on statutory national minimum wages in (a) each EU member state, (b) the United States, (c) China, (d) India, (e) Russia and (f) Japan expressed in (i) local currency and (ii) sterling (purchasing power parity) in each case. (163075)

An international comparison of minimum wage rates was published in Annex C of “Government Evidence to the Low Pay Commission on the Economic Effects of the National Minimum Wage” in November 2006. This is available from the BERR website at www.berr.gov.uk/employment/pay/national-minimum-wage/Evidence-Low_Pay-Commission/page21634.html. Copies are also available in the House Libraries. An updated international comparison will be provided in the Government's evidence to the Low Pay Commission for 2007 which will be published in December.

Statistics on OECD minimum wages in purchasing power parity terms can be found at www.oecd.org/document/63/0,3343,en_2825_495691_38939455_ l_l_l_l,00. html. Statistics on EU minimum wages in purchasing power parity terms can be found at

epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-SF-07-071/EN/KS-SF-07-071-EN.PDF.