What happened to A4e?
A4e quickly became the largest provider of New Deal services in the UK and had contracts for the New Deal worth £80 million. When the New Deal was wound down in 2010, A4e was paid a share of £63 million in “termination fees”.
What is A4e and what does it do?
According to The Times, ‘A4e is a business consultancy that offers “to make millions from the unemployed by treating them as a commodity” to private and public companies.’ A4e bid for several large additional contracts from the UK government but later faced heavy criticism.
How many jobs has A4e actually found?
On 11 September 2012, a Channel 4 investigation revealed that A4e had only found 4020 jobs that lasted over 3 months in the 10 months up to May 2012. At that time, they had approximately 115,000 compulsory attendees seeking new positions, leading to a cost £45 million to the taxpayer.
Did A4e force jobseekers to work unpaid in their own offices?
“A4e compelled jobseekers to work unpaid in its own offices”. London: The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012. ^ Syal, Rajeev; Gentleman, Amelia (22 February 2012). “A4e forced to repay public money five times after DWP found ‘irregularities ‘ “.
Why is A4e being investigated by the government?
On 22 February, The Guardian revealed that A4e had forced jobseekers to work unpaid in its own offices. They were investigated nine times by the Department for Work and Pensions since 2005, and had been forced to repay public funds on five separate occasions after government investigations found ‘irregularities’.
Did A4e commit fraud on Mandatory Work Activity contract?
However, while the team found no evidence of fraud, it identified weaknesses in A4e’s internal controls on the Mandatory Work Activity contract in the South East and that this contract with A4e had been terminated, after deciding that continuing would pose ‘too great a risk’.
Why did A4e lie to the DWP?
In November 2011, A4e were taken to task by a Social Security Tribunal for halting the benefit payments of claimants who wished to be accompanied by representatives of their choice at meetings run by A4e. The report also states that members of A4e lied to the DWP in order to cut the benefits to claimants.