Government runs-up £2bn failed IT bill

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 7 Jan 2008 at 10:08

The government has wasted £2 billion on abandoned computer projects since 2000 according to the Guardian.

Amid the more significant failures, the report lists the £468 million spent on upgrading the Child Support Agency's systems, a project which ultimately collapsed leading to a £1 billion write-off.

Chief among the culprits is the Department for Work and Pensions, which the Guardian claims has spent around £1.6 billion on three computer projects which never saw the light of day: a benefit card scheme, the CSA upgrade, and a new benefit payment system, which cost £140 million and never worked.

The newspaper goes on to note that its list is not exhaustive and does not include the bill for the online crime reporting site cancelled last week, or the early work on a new NHS computer system which had to be abandoned due to its use of outdated technology.

It also notes that neither the government nor the National Audit Office keep specific records of failed projects and as such the true figure could be well beyond the £1.865 billion total revealed by its research.

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