The current "twin track" approach to UC IT development also means that the government is still spending money on the existing IT being used in the Pathfinder while the end-state solution is developed.
The Committee Chair said:
"The money wasted on Universal Credit so far – £40 million on IT software that now has no use and £90 million on software with a useful life of only 5 years – is a matter of deep regret. It is vital that DWP learns the lessons of past mistakes. At the same time as developing the "end-state solution" the government intends to spend £37-£58 million on further developing the existing IT system. Given the small number of people currently claiming UC, the government should consider whether it would be a better use of taxpayers’ money to abandon further development of the existing system and focus solely on the end-state solution. Despite the millions being spent on the end-state IT solution it is still not clear when the system will be ready or even how it will work. It is still not ready for testing on the first 100 claimants, and we have no indication of when it will be possible to test it on a bigger and more representative group of claimants." CIPP comment Having rushed employers down the route of submitting information in real time to HMRC, the CIPP are extremely disappointed to learn that Universal Credits is still not fit for purpose. The CIPP is very much in favour of utilising the electronic world including the submission of data to any government department, but has always maintained the timeline was far too short. “Whilst overall RTI is working, it hasn’t been without hard work from the payroll industry and HMRC to achieve the success it has had. If the timetable had been longer I am sure some of the issues the industry has experienced for example, the reconciliation problems, would have been sorted out long before the project was live. It might have also been possible to provide employers with useful tools such as a dashboard that shows figures in real time. We are where we are, so would now urge the government to do whatever is necessary to ensure UC is fit for purpose and take advantage of RTI submissions as originally intended.” Karen Thomson, Associate Director of the CIPP’s policy and research team said:
Further information
Press release: Still not clear Universal Credit IT will work warn MPs Report: Universal Credit implementation: monitoring DWP's performance in 2012-13 Work and Pensions Committee
Universal Credit expansion plans
12 May 2014
The expansion of the full Universal Credit benefit to the rest of the north west of England will start in June.
Minister for Welfare Reform, Lord Freud, set out plans for the next steps of Universal Credit – marking the first anniversary of the full new benefit becoming available.
Universal Credit has a number of elements which have already been rolled out across the country, including a claimant commitment, where jobseekers agree:
CIPP Policy News Journal
08/04/2015, Page 515 of 521
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