Q. My office junior is paid exactly the national minimum wage (NMW). Do I have to put his wages up from 1 October 2012?

A. It depends how old your employee is. From 1 October 2012 the NMW rate for those aged 21 and over rises from £6.08 to £6.19 per hour and the apprentice rate is increased to £2.65 per hour. However the rates for 16 to 20 year olds have not been increased.