Benefits project of 'limited value'

A FLAGSHIP £760 million programme to reduce the number of people on incapacity benefits had "limited effect" according to a report by the Commons' spending watchdog today.

The Pathways to Work programme contracted work to private providers who "seriously underperformed" and had lower success rates than Jobcentre Plus, the Commons Public Accounts Committee found.

Between 2005 and 2009 the number of people on incapacity benefits reduced by just 125,000 and the committee said it could not be clear how many of these were due to the Pathways project. The programme, launched nationally between 2005 and 2008, was aimed at cutting the number of claimants.