The Department for Work and Pensions has been criticised for failing to meet targets relating to its Work Programme.

The back to work initiative which is designed to get unemployed people back into long-term work, only managed to get 3.6 percent of the people on the scheme back into work in the first 14 months, between June 2011 and July 2012, compared to the target of 11.9 percent.

Opposition Labour MP Margaret Hodge, who chaired a committee which attacked the DWP, said: “"It is shocking that, of the 9,500 former incapacity benefit claimants referred to providers, only 20 people have been placed in a job that has lasted three months”.

The Work Programme uses private firms to bring individuals into work on a payment by results basis to increase cost savings. Trades Union Congress general secretary Frances O'Grad also agreed with the committee’s report.

In response to the criticism, a DWP spokesman said: “"This report paints a skewed picture. More than 200,000 people have moved off benefits and into a job thanks to the Work Programme.” The spokesman added that: "The Work Programme gives support to claimants for two years and it hasn't even been running that long yet, so it's still early days. We know the performance of our providers is improving."