It also criticised the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) which PAC said ‘neglected to put in place basic management information that would be expected for a multi-billion-pound grant programme’.

Over one year since the £1.9bn Kickstart scheme was launched, with ‘stronger than expected economic growth’, DWP is now forecasting that Kickstart will support far fewer young people than envisaged - 168,000 versus the original prediction of 250,000 - and will cost £1.26bn.

Kickstart funds employers to create six-month jobs for young people aged 16–24, who are on Universal Credit and deemed to be at risk of long-term unemployment. The funding covers 25 hours per week of employment at the national minimum wage.