News

Following yesterdays’​ decision by the DWP to sack A4E from just one small mandatory work contract, the National Audit Office (NAO)has now accused the department of failing to properly investigate the company or many others who have possibly been guilty of defrauding the taxpayer.

The NAO says that the DWP investigation team failed to request vital evidence before completing its investigation into A4E, which concluded that there was no evidence of fraud but that because of poor procedures in place it was ending one of the companies 16 contracts with the department.

The NAO report found that the DWP knew of the risk of fraud in back-to-work programmes but failed to make even the most basic checks, such as contacting employers to see if they really had given claimants jobs.

Of £​773,000 worth of fraud by private companies actually uncovered by the DWP, only £​410,000 has so far been repaid.

Full story in the Guardian.