MPs are demanding action after a routine software
upgrade at the Department for Work and Pensions left 80% of desktop
PCs unable to link to core mainframe-based social security
systems.
The failure, which hit 80,000 desktops, led to delays in payments
to new claimants and to some cheques having to be raised
manually.
Alexis Cleveland, chief executive of the DWP, played down last
week's disruption and said it was caused by a "small change" and
had "blown out of all proportion".
But it was embarrassing for the department whose minister Alan
Johnson earlier this month appeared before the Commons work and
pensions committee and apologised for IT failures at the DWP's
Child Support Agency.
The failure was also embarrassing for the department's IT partner
EDS which was due to deliver a major software release for the CSA
computer systems on 6 December. The upgrade aims to allow the
transfer of thousands of cases from the agency's old systems to its
new one.
Cleveland's effort to minimise last week's problems produced an
angry response from Tory MP Richard Bacon, a senior member of the
Public Accounts Committee. He expressed astonishment that a minor
modification could cause such a disproportionately large
failure.
Steve Webb MP, Liberal Democrat shadow work and pensions spokesman
said, "Once again vulnerable people have been let down by the DWP
and its computer chaos. Scarcely a week goes by without another
example of agovernment computer system overseen by well-paid
consultants leaving people's finances in a mess," Webb said.
"This is the latest in a long line of shambles, including the
National Insurance system, tax credits and, most recently, the
Child Support Agency."
Webb called for independent scrutiny of the DWP IT systems to "get
this mess sorted out once and for all".
Ministers, civil servants and the Office of Government Commerce
told the PAC earlier this month that they were opposed to the
publication of Gateway reviews - OGC assessments of government IT
projects at key stages in their lifecycle.
Microsoft said it had worked around the clock with the department
and EDS to rectify the problem.
By Friday (26 November), technical experts from the DWP's IT
partners Microsoft and EDS had begun a due diligence process to
discover what caused the systems failure.
Don't cut staff till IT is proved >>