Private sector 'not fit for purpose'.

[Staunton]

A multi-million pound government IT system to process EU subsidy payments for farmers has been largely abandoned following "performance problems".

The system will be re-launched next week with farmers asked to submit Basic Payment Scheme claims on paper forms, because the IT system that was funded by the government has been identified as unfit for purpose.

 

The Basic Payment Scheme has cost the taxpayer an eye-watering sum, with a shocking £154 million of public money paid to technology suppliers and consultants.

 

And there's the clue – public money into private pockets. The conservative led coalition are indifferent to this failure of the private sector. They and their press friends never tire of telling us that the public sector cannot deliver, but there is no clamour from the Daily Telegraph or the Sun about the failure of private enterprise when these stories surface.

 

Why? Well because it does what their ideology is designed to do – raids the public purse to enrich private companies and their executives. Whether the schemes that public monies fund succeed or fail is a matter of indifference to the politicians who pretend that they are working for us, because they are not. They are working for themselves and their friends, and work against the interests of ordinary people.

 

And here's a clue – it's only the little people, that's you and me, who pay tax – big business and millionaires don't pay tax and don't care when public funds are squandered because first, it's not their money, and second, it becomes their money when the government gives them the contract.

 

Wake up before it's too late.

[Mecky]

Ouch! Did your firm lose the contract?

[hyper]

Staunton ... Didn't the blair govt introduce PFI?

[L00b]

Can we have some evidence that "the private sector" is the most to blame, and not that major illness of the commissioning public service known as incompetence 'mission creep' instead?

[taxman]

Was it ever so?

 

Govt IT procurement is usually rubbish. In HMRC they tend to try and buy the cheapest off the peg stuff and make it fit around our work. After it fails they then have to spend hundreds of millions repairing or replacing it.

 

God help us when everybody gets their own online tax account.

[Lucy75]

A multi-million pound government IT system to process EU subsidy payments for farmers has been largely abandoned following "performance problems".

The system will be re-launched next week with farmers asked to submit Basic Payment Scheme claims on paper forms, because the IT system that was funded by the government has been identified as unfit for purpose.

 

The Basic Payment Scheme has cost the taxpayer an eye-watering sum, with a shocking £154 million of public money paid to technology suppliers and consultants.

 

And there's the clue – public money into private pockets. The conservative led coalition are indifferent to this failure of the private sector. They and their press friends never tire of telling us that the public sector cannot deliver, but there is no clamour from the Daily Telegraph or the Sun about the failure of private enterprise when these stories surface.

 

Why? Well because it does what their ideology is designed to do – raids the public purse to enrich private companies and their executives. Whether the schemes that public monies fund succeed or fail is a matter of indifference to the politicians who pretend that they are working for us, because they are not. They are working for themselves and their friends, and work against the interests of ordinary people.

 

And here's a clue – it's only the little people, that's you and me, who pay tax – big business and millionaires don't pay tax and don't care when public funds are squandered because first, it's not their money, and second, it becomes their money when the government gives them the contract.

 

Wake up before it's too late.

 

If there is a problem then it is the public sectors responsibility, they are entirety responsible for any money they spend in private sector.

[RonJeremy]

A multi-million pound government IT system to process EU subsidy payments for farmers has been largely abandoned following "performance problems".

The system will be re-launched next week with farmers asked to submit Basic Payment Scheme claims on paper forms, because the IT system that was funded by the government has been identified as unfit for purpose.

 

The Basic Payment Scheme has cost the taxpayer an eye-watering sum, with a shocking £154 million of public money paid to technology suppliers and consultants.

 

And there's the clue – public money into private pockets. The conservative led coalition are indifferent to this failure of the private sector. They and their press friends never tire of telling us that the public sector cannot deliver, but there is no clamour from the Daily Telegraph or the Sun about the failure of private enterprise when these stories surface.

 

Why? Well because it does what their ideology is designed to do – raids the public purse to enrich private companies and their executives. Whether the schemes that public monies fund succeed or fail is a matter of indifference to the politicians who pretend that they are working for us, because they are not. They are working for themselves and their friends, and work against the interests of ordinary people.

 

And here's a clue – it's only the little people, that's you and me, who pay tax – big business and millionaires don't pay tax and don't care when public funds are squandered because first, it's not their money, and second, it becomes their money when the government gives them the contract.

 

Wake up before it's too late.

 

This is so utterly laughably stupid a comment.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/11291372/Face-the-facts-Britains-top-firms-already-pay-more-and-more-in-tax.html

 

You really do believe the hype of the anti business lobby. Just because you keep repeating it doesn't make it true.

HSBC alone paid about 2.5 billion in tax last year. It is such utter rubbish spouted I cannot let you perpetuate the lie.

[Bargepole23]

A multi-million pound government IT system to process EU subsidy payments for farmers has been largely abandoned following "performance problems".

The system will be re-launched next week with farmers asked to submit Basic Payment Scheme claims on paper forms, because the IT system that was funded by the government has been identified as unfit for purpose.

 

The Basic Payment Scheme has cost the taxpayer an eye-watering sum, with a shocking £154 million of public money paid to technology suppliers and consultants.

 

And there's the clue – public money into private pockets. The conservative led coalition are indifferent to this failure of the private sector. They and their press friends never tire of telling us that the public sector cannot deliver, but there is no clamour from the Daily Telegraph or the Sun about the failure of private enterprise when these stories surface.

 

Why? Well because it does what their ideology is designed to do – raids the public purse to enrich private companies and their executives. Whether the schemes that public monies fund succeed or fail is a matter of indifference to the politicians who pretend that they are working for us, because they are not. They are working for themselves and their friends, and work against the interests of ordinary people.

 

And here's a clue – it's only the little people, that's you and me, who pay tax – big business and millionaires don't pay tax and don't care when public funds are squandered because first, it's not their money, and second, it becomes their money when the government gives them the contract.

 

Wake up before it's too late.

 

I imagine the specifications produced by government for the system were pitiful, which means that you have no means to hold your supplier to account. I would also imagine the project management on the gvt side was equally pitiful.

 

All of which leads to cost and time overuns.

[mjw47]

So the whole of the private sector is 'not fit for purpose ' because of some monumental balls up involving one contract?

 

Ask yourself a question, why is it that whenever the public sector gets involved with a major IT project it goes mammaries up?

 

When the private sector require a major IT project it usually arrives as ordered.

 

Why? Because the private sector understands how business works. Before signing a contract they ensure that the specification meets their needs.

They also accept that any deviation from the original spec is going to cost an arm and a leg, so they don't deviate.

 

Penalty clauses are placed in the contract requiring delivery on time and agreed performance levels. If there's a loser it won't be the customer, ensures commitment from the supplier.

 

Someone is made responsible for the project if it goes wrong because of bad planning they pay the price with their job.

 

None of that applies in the public sector, they order a system at the cheapest price and then start requesting additional requirements that weren't specified and can't be supplied without major alteration.

 

Halfway through doing that they think of something else they require.

 

No one loses their job, it's public money which is apparently viewed by the public sector as the equivalent of monopoly money so no problem.

 

The common denominator in most of these cases is the public sector and it is their senior management - I use the word in it's loosest possible definition - who are to blame.

 

I have sympathy with the poor sods employed in the public sector who have to attempt to keep the show on the road whilst these clowns think up their next money wasting scheme.

[hyper]

Can we have some evidence that "the private sector" is the most to blame, and not that major illness of the commissioning public service known as incompetence 'mission creep' instead?

Before anyone tries to answer, Cyclone will attempt to define what constitutes "evidence".

 

Sorry, couldn't resist