Frances Maude plays down Univeral Credit row with DWP

Francis Maude plays down universal credit IT row with DWP
Minister says it is normal for Cabinet Office to provide support to departments on IT problems after pullout of team is confirmed

Wednesday 8 January 2014 19.12 GMT


The Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude has played down reports of a row with the Department for Work and Pensions over the implementation of universal credit.

In a television interview yesterday Maude said the universial credit policy was hindered by "lamentable" implementation. "There were some major problems with universal credit. It was a brilliant policy but the implementation was pretty lamentable and the public accounts committee have highlighted that," he told ITV News.

He added: "It's been recognised that there has been significant write offs, a lot of money has been wasted in the very poor implementation of the project and this is very regrettable."

Minutes from the government's universal credit board confirm that Maude's department has accelerated the pullout of its team of IT experts from the project after what sources describe as serious tensions over the progress of the £2.4bn overhaul.

But he said it was normal for the Cabinet-Office-backed government digital service to provide support to individual departments on implementation of IT schemes, adding that the transition back to the DWP team had been agreed across government.

Maude said: "The expectation always is that at some point the inhouse team take over."

The Cabinet Office had put a "lot of resource" into helping fix the problems with the universal credit project, he said. "It was always intended to be short-term resource."

Maude added: "UC is an excellent policy. It had some problems.

"You can see the work we did through the summer. We do not have troubleshooters. We have developers and people that help. The model of going in helping with it is entirely consistent. Mike Bracken, the head of the government digital service, said he has met the digital leader at DWP today and he was quite happy with the transition so I don't know what all this nonsense is all about.

"We have collectively agreed an approach here that does involve that twin-track approach. That is supported."

He refused to go into the sources of the IT problems with universal credit, saying it had been crawled over by the National Audit Office and the public accounts committee.

"Obviously there has been troubled history there. The Cabinet Office were barely involved until February of last year when Iain Duncan Smith [the secretary for work and pensions] asked us to get closely involved, which we did, providing a lot of resource, but it was always intended to be short-term resource," said Maude, adding that he would not comment on leaked documents.
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jan/08/francis-maude-universal-credit-it-row-dwp

Maude bears responsibility for the screwed up implementation. See

http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/public-sector/2013/09/universal-credit-failures-put-4.html

So Maude screwed the implementation up, and IDS concept was hopeless.

You have to wonder if they can do anything right!

Sassy wrote:
Francis Maude plays down universal credit IT row with DWP
Minister says it is normal for Cabinet Office to provide support to departments on IT problems after pullout of team is confirmed

Wednesday 8 January 2014 19.12 GMT


The Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude has played down reports of a row with the Department for Work and Pensions over the implementation of universal credit.

In a television interview yesterday Maude said the universial credit policy was hindered by "lamentable" implementation. "There were some major problems with universal credit. It was a brilliant policy but the implementation was pretty lamentable and the public accounts committee have highlighted that," he told ITV News.

He added: "It's been recognised that there has been significant write offs, a lot of money has been wasted in the very poor implementation of the project and this is very regrettable."

Minutes from the government's universal credit board confirm that Maude's department has accelerated the pullout of its team of IT experts from the project after what sources describe as serious tensions over the progress of the £2.4bn overhaul.

But he said it was normal for the Cabinet-Office-backed government digital service to provide support to individual departments on implementation of IT schemes, adding that the transition back to the DWP team had been agreed across government.

Maude said: "The expectation always is that at some point the inhouse team take over."

The Cabinet Office had put a "lot of resource" into helping fix the problems with the universal credit project, he said. "It was always intended to be short-term resource."

Maude added: "UC is an excellent policy. It had some problems.

"You can see the work we did through the summer. We do not have troubleshooters. We have developers and people that help. The model of going in helping with it is entirely consistent. Mike Bracken, the head of the government digital service, said he has met the digital leader at DWP today and he was quite happy with the transition so I don't know what all this nonsense is all about.

"We have collectively agreed an approach here that does involve that twin-track approach. That is supported."

He refused to go into the sources of the IT problems with universal credit, saying it had been crawled over by the National Audit Office and the public accounts committee.

"Obviously there has been troubled history there. The Cabinet Office were barely involved until February of last year when Iain Duncan Smith [the secretary for work and pensions] asked us to get closely involved, which we did, providing a lot of resource, but it was always intended to be short-term resource," said Maude, adding that he would not comment on leaked documents.
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jan/08/francis-maude-universal-credit-it-row-dwp

Maude bears responsibility for the screwed up implementation. See

http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/public-sector/2013/09/universal-credit-failures-put-4.html

So Maude screwed the implementation up, and IDS concept was hopeless.

IDS is a walking political disaster zone!....Wonder when he'll be sacked!

Oh they won't sack him, they'll need someone to blame when the amount of the disaster is shown.

they already have that Sass...they will simply blame the hundreds of 3rd generation "scroungers" despite the fact that like the mythical oomegoolie bird they simply dont exist.....

Sassy wrote:Oh they won't sack him, they'll need someone to blame when the amount of the disaster is shown.

...Bit like Thatcher was the sacraficial lamb for the Tories, when they wanted to move in another direction?

They blame them for having to pay the benefits, and I'm sure if they could they would blame them for the IT cock up, but I don't think they'd be able too. Mind you, Sphinx seems to believe its not working because of people putting obstacles in the way, not because they haven't been able to do the ground work and implementation correctly.

These idiot Tories forget what they did to their great leader at the time, and now lot's of them are singing her praises!

 :-:cawg:-: 

Pathetic isn't it!

Sassy wrote:They blame them for having to pay the benefits, and I'm sure if they could they would blame them for the IT cock up, but I don't think they'd be able too.   Mind you, Sphinx seems to believe its not working because of people putting obstacles in the way, not because they haven't been able to do the ground work and implementation correctly.

Aren't they still giving the winter fuel allowance to rich pensioners?

Why haven't they cut that yet?

Sassy wrote:Pathetic isn't it!

Why do they still give the winter fuel allowance to rich pensioners living in Spain, when it's hot there, apart from one month a year, when it's a little bit chilly!

Rats in a sack. Usual Tory way when the going gets tough. They just turn on each other and it ends up every man for himself - bit like the effects of their policies really.

Irn Bru wrote:Rats in a sack. Usual Tory way when the going gets tough. They just turn on each other and it ends up every man for himself - bit like the effects of their policies really.

Well, didn't Osborne say that 2014 will be the year, where they will inflict the worst on the poor?