Kirkwood: this is just the start.

Abstract

Ministers and Whitehall officials have been given a blunt warning, take seriously recommendations in the report of the Work and Pensions committee or face ever-tougher scrutiny. So said MP Archy Kirkwood, who chairs the committee. The report was published last week with 36 recommendations and conclusions. If recommendations are implemented, the committee's members believe that they would help improve the success rate of government information technology (IT) projects. Kirkwood said other committees may now put IT at the forefront of their political agenda and may require more openness and transparency to see if projects costing millions of pounds are being properly managed. Kirkwood said the committee was struck by inadequacies projects have suffered from in the past. If there is to be a successful reform of government, as recommended by Peter Gershon, former head of the Office of Government Commerce they need to have a step change in how they develop these IT projects across government. In future IT projects will be front-line political issues. INSET: Kirkwood on IT delivering job cuts.