To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the departmental commissioning strategy is applied when transferring work from one contractor to another under Pathways to Work. (214590)

The Department's commissioning strategy was published after the award of Pathways to Work contracts. However, in cases where work had to be transferred, for instance because a contractor became insolvent, the same overarching principles of ensuring a consistent and coherent service for the customers would have been applied.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps have been taken to improve service delivery by contractual providers to new clients under Pathways to Work; what contractual provisions he has imposed on A4e in the last 12 months; and what steps his Department has taken to improve the monitoring of contract providers. (214591)

The Department has implemented a number of initiatives to improve the management of contracts and of providers to achieve better performance and quality of delivery.

The implementation of a revised Contract Management Framework, setting out the processes for monitoring departmental contracts, enables early identification of poor performance so remedial action can be put in place. A Supplier Relationship Management Team set up in April this year aims to develop strong, positive relationships with providers in order to help us improve delivery of services to customers. The new Commissioning Strategy, published on 28 February this year, includes a Code of Conduct which spells out the key values and principles of behaviour we expect of providers and which are essential for creating healthy, high performing supply chains. Additionally, the introduction of a star rating accreditation system for providers will enable the Department and welfare to work providers to understand and drive up performance.

At the beginning of this year the Department agreed an improvement plan with A4e to address some issues with the delivery and management of their New Deal contract in Manchester. A4e has now successfully addressed all areas of concern.