Anne Main – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2015-12-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that people under the age of 16 are paid for employment; and what assessment she has made of the adequacy of legal protection of children under the age of 16 who are employed.

Edward Timpson

There are legal safeguards for children of compulsory school age who are employed. These safeguards include the nature of the work that they may be asked to do, the maximum hours they may work, and the safety of their working environment. Local authorities and the Health and Safety Executive are responsible for ensuring compliance with the relevant legislation.

Minimum wage legislation does not apply to children under 16.