The Low Pay Commission has launched a public consultation on the accommodation offset, the only benefit-in-kind that can count towards payment of the national minimum wage.
The benefit, which is currently set at a daily limit of £4.73 (£33.11 a week) and is designed to act as a protective measure, to discourage employers both from levying excessive accommodation charges and from withdrawing from the provision of accommodation.
The Low Pay Commission would like to hear both from employees who have accommodation provided for them, and from employers who provide accommodation to their employees, to gain an understanding of how far the offset has protected low-paid workers since it was introduced.
The commission would also like to see if there is any evidence that the level of the offset has deprived workers of accommodation that would otherwise be offered.
The consultation will close on 10 September 2012. Is it separate from the Low Pay Commission’s consultation, launched in June, on wider aspects of the national minimum wage.
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