Government sends in IT troubleshooter

Tuesday May 21 2000
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By Sonia Purnell

TONY BLAIR'S e-envoy, Alex Allan, will tomorrow take overall responsibility for reversing the Government's disastrous record in managing major computer projects.

Public Service Minister Ian McCartney will unveil 30 practical recommendations which Downing Street hopes will prevent yet more hundreds of millions of pounds of public money being squandered on late, unreliable and over-budget IT systems. Mr Allan will oversee their implementation.

The advice is contained in a report ordered by the Prime Minister and drawn up after eight months of investigations by ministers, officials and secondees from the Computer Software and Services Association, law firm Clifford Chance, the Institute of Directors and Marconi.

Computer projects such as the one at the Passport Office, which led to huge processing delays and long queues, and the Immigration Service, which further exacerbated the backlog in processing asylum cases, have been among the most damaging commercial failures of this Government.

The Public Accounts Committee, the all-party Parliamentary watchdog that scrutinises Government spending, has attacked no fewer than 25 major projects for breakdowns in control, unreliability and cost over-runs in the past 10 years.

Such sustained criticism was becoming a major embarrassment to an administration which prides itself on its "modern" outlook.

Tomorrow's report will suggest all high-risk projects are reviewed by a team of independent and experienced project managers, and ministers will take greater personal responsibility for their success.

Departments will also be instructed to prepare contingency plans in case of failure, and suppliers instructed to provide more detail that will be monitored as projects proceed.

The 12 most recent failed Government computer projects criticised by the PAC are:

  1. Passport Agency - serious delays in processing passports last year leading to long queues and public outcry.
     

  2. National Insurance - serious delays and problems in transferring vital data from the Contributions Agency.
     

  3. Immigration and Nationality Directorate - delays caused greater backlog in dealing with asylum cases.
     

  4. MoD Trawlerman - project for disseminating classified material to intelligence staff abandoned after writing off #41m.
     

  5. NHS Executive - late, unco-ordinated system for storing information on patients, therefore of only limited use.
     

  6. Home Office Handgun surrender and compensation - numerous and unpredictable system failures leading to errors. No safeguards for fraud.
     

  7. MAFF - arable area payment scheme: delays, breakdowns, soaring costs well over budget.
     

  8. Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils, Accounting System - delays and errors in transferring data, lack of control of contractor, two years late, overpayments to staff and suppliers.
     

  9. NHS Purchase of Read Codes and Management of NHS Centre for Codes and Classification - no cost or benefit appraisal, after eight years and #32m only 12 hospitals using it.
     

  10. Benefits Agency Jobseekers' Allowance - teething problems, errors.
     

  11. Benefits Agency Post Office Counters - delays so long that overtaken by technological developments.
     

  12. Intervention Board Accounts project - consultants of "doubtful value", twice original estimated cost, couldn't reconcile accounts.