Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of differential pricing on provider behaviour in the Work Programme; and if he will make a statement.

Under differential pricing, a provider will receive higher levels of funding for supporting a harder to help claimant into work. This incentivises providers to support all claimants

Provider performance has improved for many groups which receive higher payments under differential pricing. For instance, of those completing a year on the programme, 1 in 10 ESA New Claimants have had at least three months in work since joining the scheme – this compares to 1 in 25 for the earliest cohorts.