The Queen has confirmed that higher penalties will be imposed on employers which fail to pay their staff the national minimum wage, first announced in January 2014.
The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill will introduce an increased penalty of up to £20,000 for employers that do not pay staff the minimum wage
The government will also increase the financial penalty percentage from 50% to 100% of the unpaid wages owed to workers found to be underpaid, in addition to the fine.