The recommendations were due to be made by the end of February, but the government had agreed to extend this to 1 May.
The Low Pay Commission made this request to allow them to take account of two further months of data, including the Bank of England’s inflation report, employee job figures for December, GDP figures for the fourth quarter of 2008, and updates on average earnings. The government agreed that the LPC recommendations should be based on the best available evidence.
The delay "would not impact on the planned date for entry into force of the new rates, on 1 October," he said.