Taxpayers’ Alliance Diagnoses The Obese NHS Computer Sytem
WHILE the great British public struggles to keep their finances in check, news that the Government is struggling to kept its spending within budget is rather worrying.
In a new report, the pressure group, the Taxpayers’ Alliance, has revealed that more than half of 300 public sector schemes half gone over budget.
The schemes range from the NHS national computer system to a new fleet of submarines and that overspend adds up to £23million – £900 for every household in the country.
Topping the list of money black holes is that controversial NHS computer system which was originally estimated to cost £2.3billlion. Now the total cost of the project is expected to reach a whopping £12.4billion, over five times more than the original total.
The report also reveals that 14 major public sector projects have racked up bigger overruns than the infamous Millennium Dome, which went in excess of £200million over budget.
Andrew Allum of the Taxpayers’ Alliance says: “It’s astounding that the Government is currently overseeing more than a dozen domes. Having had first-hand experience of public sector capital projects, it’s clear that the politicians and civil servants in charge lack the management experience and subject knowledge to run them effectively. The Government needs to reduce the enormous scale of overruns to give taxpayers better value for money.”
It should make us all feel a little less guilty about our credit card bills. Although unfortunately, unlike the Government, we can’t call on the taxpayer or the Lottery fund to help us out of a tight spot.
Posted: 13th, July 2007 | In: Money Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink
