Thursday 22 March 2012

Stop press - Newsnight tonight

We've just heard that Newsnight (BBC2, 10.30) has a special report tonight, 22 March, on A4e.  They have a leaked report, A4e's own audit, from 2009, which suggests widespread potential fraud.  Paul Mason says that it reveals that A4e knew that its controls were "minimal".  It surveyed only the top 20 recruiters in the company, and found that 8% of the outcome claims were potentially fraudulent and only 70% could be verified.  Employers say that they were asked to sign blank forms.  Two of those staff named are still working for A4e.
This could be dynamite!

14 comments:

  1. Ahhhhhaaa...was just about to post a link to this story! Here goes anyway:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17476415

    This is why this blog is still vital!

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  2. Jeez, and to think I've just been pushed onto this shambles by the Job Centre staff.

    A ride into the unknown methinks...!!!!!!!!!!

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  3. Yes I was also was about to post the link to the BBC website! Can't wait for Newsnight. All good things come to those that wait!

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  4. If you read some of the details.. the guardian article is good, has a lot more information..http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/mar/22/a4e-manager-widespread-potential-fraud?newsfeed=true

    Auditors examined 224 outcomes, and reported that 4% of successful job outcomes demonstrated potential fraud or irregular activity while another 3% demonstrated a "reputational risk" to A4e if details were ever to emerge in public.

    In 14% of cases – or 32 successful job outcomes – auditors were unable to complete visits. In some cases the auditors were unable to locate either the company or the individual concerned. In 69% of claims, there were "no issues highlighted" by the audit.

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    1. Excuse me?! - please explain..what do you mean 'in some cases the auditors were unable to locate either the company or the individual concerned'? - does this mean they couldn't find an office for A4e? Doesn't surprise me in the least..

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    2. No, it means that job outcome forms were entirely fictional.

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  5. From the Left Foot Forward website Margaret Hodge's reaction"“This appears to be devastating evidence of systemic fraud within A4e. Either A4e failed to act or to inform DWP, or they did inform DWP and the department failed to investigate properly. Whichever, it is completely unacceptable. Once again, I am urging the department to suspend all its contracts with A4e immediately."

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    1. I have sent a few E-mails from Jobfit to MP Hodge where they state "there is no training money,Full Stop" we use a black box method(unsure what a black box method is) and any legal measure at our disposal to ensure you find employment. Can anybody explain what this means?

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  6. They lost 32 people and companies.. I mean.. 32 people just vanished.. and this was just out of a small cohort of the top performers. So out of 224 there have been about 30% of "errors".

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  7. It seems that in 2009, A4E's internal auditors only examined a total of 224 files and found that, in 30% of these 224 files. there was either prima facie evidence of wrong-doing or at least the risk of "reputational" damage to A4E. The internal auditors are also supposed to have said that they only investigated 20% of the handled by 20 members of staff.

    How how many files and how many of SA4E's staff members wre NOT investigated?

    My A4E advisor told me yesterday that he has heard that from now on, the Job Centre staff have been told to verify far more of the "Job Search" claims submitted by their Work Programme clients of all age groups than they have been told to check hitherto.

    That is the sort of "re-bureaucritisation" that Professor Finn warned the Government about in his report to the National Audit Office in January 2012.

    It also suggests that, far from shedding staff, the Job Centre will need to recruit more members of staff in order to cope with the new workload of checking more people's "Job Search" claims. They cannot confine this extra checking to A4E customers only, after all.

    How is the tax-payer getting value for money out of this shambles? Grayling has more or less fessed up that the Work Programme scheme is showing disappointing initial results. He said sanctimoniously that "some people will be disappointed." So will they still be punished in spite of being "disappointed" through no fault of their own?

    It would be a nightmare for the DWP to have to suspend the Government's contracts with A4E. In my own area, A4E's competitors Maximus would not be able to cope with a sudden, dramatic increase in their own workload. Also, why should Maximus shoulder the burden of A4E's customers unless the DWP pays new referral fees direct to Maximus for the A4E customers concerned?

    I feel sure that although A4E is attracting all of the flak, A4E is not the only sinner in town. A4E's biggest "sin" was in developing such an odious company profile, I suspect.

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  8. Is it me or did Newsnight's Paul Mason look genuinely hacked off and even angry after his news report on A4e?

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  9. If you catch a thief once,they have probably gotten away with it 10 or 20 times before they are caught.

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