PCS union calls for NAO check on Channel4 new deal fraud claims

Allegations of fraud by private companies helping unemployed people get back to work under the government's flexible new deal programme have prompted calls for an independent investigation.

Following a news report on last night's Channel4 News alleging fraud, including by recruitment firms Working Links and A4e, the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) has called for a National Audit Office investigation.

Working Links was accused of fabricating signatures and paperwork, while A4e allegedly placed people in unsustainable jobs.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "The fraud uncovered is a stark example of what happens when profits, rather than people, are put at the heart of the welfare state."

Public and Commercial Services Union