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The introduction of the Work Programme in June 2011 largely addressed the main weaknesses in previous programmes which had led to a risk that fraud by providers was being understated. Some risks still remain because not every control applies to every programme, particularly to smaller ones. This report finds in particular that the assessment of the risk of fraud at A4e missed vital evidence. The Department does not currently obtain all relevant copies of providers' internal audit reports and did not receive the paper sent to the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee which highlighted a possible systematic failure to mitigate the risk of fraudulent and irregular activity. More than half of fraud allegations since 2006, valued at £773,000, have been in respect of New Deal programmes which ended in 2011. Schemes such as the Flexible New Deal and the Work Programme that replaced the New Deal have been designed with measurable and verifiable outcomes to minimize the risk of fraud. For example, the DWP now checks the records of HM Revenue and Customs to test whether claimants are actually working. But, notably, in the case of the £8 million programme providing mandatory work activity, there are still no independent checks with employers that unemployed people said to have been placed with them have been. Recommendations include that the Department make the most of the fraud risk knowledge it possesses and share it more effectively; and that users' complaints be used to assess the quality of service providers.
The Department spends around £900 million annually on programmes to help unemployed people find and sustain work through its contracts with a range of companies and some charities. Following a hearing on the Work Programme in February 2012, allegations of potential fraud and poor service from employment programme clients and whistleblowers were passed to the Department. The Department has initiated an investigation of the adequacy of controls at A4e, one of its major contractors, and is investigating individual allegations. The Department has not defined what standards a company must meet to be a 'fit and proper' organisation with which the Department is willing to contract. The Department's controls against financial fraud for the Work Programme are a significant improvement on previous schemes, although allegations that some providers give a poor service have already begun. Furthermore, risks also remain in the Department's other programmes. The Department's 'black box' approach to contracting for the Work Programme allows providers to innovate but without sufficient auditing and neither is there a mechanism in the contract for improving service standards over time. The Department lacks sufficient information on the nature and number of complaints made directly to contractors to identify trends and learn lessons. There is also no obvious mechanism through which participants, contractors' employees or MPs can raise issues of concern relating to fraud and poor service. While it may be tempting to define an acceptable level of fraud it the committee's view that this is the wrong approach. Rather the department should take all reasonable and affordable steps to drive out fraud
Dated January 2013. The reports published as HC 104 (ISBN 9780215047670), HC 288 (ISBN 9780215047632), HC 532 (ISBN 9780215048684), HC 388 (ISBN 9780215048691), HC 103 (ISBN 9780215048653); HC 389 (ISBN 9780215049704)