There are 16 Private Sector and two Voluntary and Community Sector prime providers, with c350 Private Sector subcontractors and c480 Voluntary and Community Sector subcontractors delivering the Work programme. Work programme total spend is published in the Work programme stats release, please find link as follows:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/209260/wp-costs-to-31-march-2013.pdf

The Work Programme is working. The programmes performance has significantly improved since being launched in June 2011. By the end of June 2012, 24,000 people had found lasting work. By June 2013 this had increased dramatically to 168,000.

Jobcentre Plus have a major role to play in supporting claimants into work—in most cases, individuals are supported through their Jobcentre Plus for one year prior to their referral to the Work programme.

However, when we looked to set up a programme for the long-term unemployed, or those most at risk of becoming long-term unemployed, we took an active decision to contract the programme out to a range of private, public and voluntary sector organisations instead of asking Jobcentre Plus staff to deliver it.

This was done to make sure that we got the best results with some of our hardest to help claimants, for the best price for the taxpayer, delivered as quickly as possible.

The Work programme replaced a number of existing contracted out programmes which meant that there were already providers on the ground with expertise in the area. This meant that external providers could mobilise additional resources such as staff and buildings quickly and efficiently.

By contracting the service out, we could reform the funding of welfare-to-work provision and move to a payment-by-results structure in a short space of time.

We could also introduce competition between two different providers in an area and so drive innovative solutions to long-term unemployment.

We know that Jobcentre Plus staff successfully support many claimants back into work. But the reform that we needed in such a short space of time could be best delivered, at the best price, by asking external providers to implement the Work programme.

The information as requested on the number of people who have been placed into employment from the Work programme is not available.

The information we do have shows the number of Work programme referrals and job outcomes and this can be found in the Employment Programmes section at:

http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool

Guidance for users is available at:

http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf

Statistics covering Work programme referrals, attachments and job outcomes to March 2013 will be published on 27 June 2013.

The information as requested on the number of people who have been placed into employment from the Work programme is not available.

The information we do have shows the number of Work programme referrals and job outcomes and this can be found in the Employment Programmes section at:

http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool

Guidance for users is available at:

http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf

Statistics covering Work programme referrals, attachments and job outcomes to March 2013 will be published on 27 June 2013.