We were told that more Work Programme performance data would be published this month. I would be very surprised if that happens. It would be only four more months after the last lot, and one cannot imagine that there's been such a dramatic improvement that the government will be keen to publish. Without that improvement, A4e and the other providers will be in real difficulties. The attachment fees were just about keeping them ticking over, and we know that A4e were in trouble a year ago. So, will we soon hear about contracts being ended?
While we wait and wonder, you might care to read a couple of DWP documents. There's an impact assessment justifying the legislation to ensure that they don't have to pay back the £130m wrongly taken from people who were sanctioned while the compulsory work schemes were illegal. Then you could look at a number of documents which tell "the DWP reform story", downloadable from their website. They call it a "communications toolkit".
Last week we were told that under Universal Credit, enquiries would have to be made via an 0845 phone number - in other words, expensively. In fact, this was raised a year ago by the Mirror. Last November the DWP confirmed this but said that "free claimant access phones" would be available in "a large number" of Jobcentres. So that's all right, then.
One other item: there's an article about the Trussell Trust and food banks on the Independent's website. What caught my attention was a comment by someone calling himself Marchie1053 - scroll down and find it. He draws attention to the close links between the Trussell Trust and the Conservative party. Interesting.
