JPA - 'Unfit for Purpose' - NAO

[SirPeterHardingsLovechild]

I know, its another JPA thread, but having spents several hours swearing at a computer screen today, I can't let this pass.

JPA - 'Unfit for purpose' - National Audit Office

BBC NEWS | UK | UK Politics | MoD accused of wasting millions (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8160042.stm)

I'd say that criticism from the NAO was pretty serious


.....The MoD also faces criticism that the system used to pay salary and allowances to 191,000 service personnel was "unfit for purpose".
The Joint Personnel Administration system was full of errors with nearly 15% of payments - worth an estimated £140m - either containing mistakes or unable to be substantiated.
At the same time, the NAO said there has been a growth in suspected fraud in expenses claims, which were subject to limited - and, in some cases, no - back-up checks.
"Although the MoD has made some improvements to its payroll and HR systems over the past year, I consider that there are important issues which have not been fully addressed," said Amyas Morse, the NAO's chief executive said.
"Further significant changes are required."
The MoD said errors in the payroll system were being addressed and its priority was to ensure that all serving personnel continued to be paid on time.

[Cows getting bigger]

Are there any demobbed TG17 (scribblies) out there who want to re-enlist?

[str12]

Located here at the NAO:

Report of the C&AG on the 2008-09 Resource Accounts of the Ministry of Defence (http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/0809/mod_resource_accounts.aspx)

str12

[Cows getting bigger]

We also appear to have misplaced 10-20% of BOWMAN radio equipment. That must be rather embarrassing. :eek:

[WE992]

No shocks there then!

[Jumping_Jack]

...without 'backup checks', how do they know that fraud has increased? At least now any fraudulent claims can be just paid back with a note saying it was 'an honest mistake'.....can't they? :hmm:

[ZOFO]

Seems as though the MP's of this country are fed up of the limelight falling on them at present, and are looking for an alternate headline.

[Lima Juliet]

JPA - 'Unfit for Purpose' - NAO


Surely it's "JPA - 'Unfit for Purpose' - YES"???

LJ:ok:

[higthepig]

Does the National Audit Office get audited at all?
Please tell us something useful about JPA, perhaps that it should be scrapped, we could then revert back to paper records, administered by those who understand the system and can solve problems. Or, we could carry on with JPA and put in claims for duck islands, moat cleaning etc and hope that it won't get noticed.

[EODFelix]

Mmmm is this the same Amyas Morse who until recently was MODs Commercial Director???

[anita gofradump]

What another load of crap that we didn't need!!!!

How many of us needed a dedicated and, no-doubt, money absorbing team to tell us that JPA is 'Unfit for Purpose' (I think they were looking for nice ways to say 'Bloody Farcical')????????

And throwing Bowman back into the argument adds weight to the question, "Did the NAO do ANY work at all?" One person could have read back through a number of open information sources, over a few weeks and gathered those conclusions. To be fair to them, I don't know how they were able to cherry-pick Bowman from the massive pile of dung that is British military procurement in the late-20th/21st century. It would be interesting to acually see ALL of the projects that have cost substantial sums of money before failure or were finalised, over budget. Tie that survey into a look at how many times a last-minute, quick-fix, UOR type solution had to be sought out to deal with a project that failed/was rejected. Then, add in a study of the number of projects where a preference for UK industry resulted in budget busting and/or late delivery.

Still, it gave us something to talk about, eh?

[NURSE]

Typical the NHS is buying a version of JPA it will handle our rostering as well as paying us for anti-social hours as well. If it can't deal with service pay which is fairly constant what hope has it in dealing with the variations in our pay!

[Sloppy Link]

The NAO have a marvellous knack of stating the bleeding obvious of any given public funded body. Rank and filke then read their report and whistle with admiration at their observations and point out to their colleagues "I told you so". The powers that be respond gratefully through gritted teeth assuring the NAO and their workforce that the reccommendations will be acted upon.

And then F**K ALL HAPPENS! The NAO are a prime example of a quango funded by the public purse that gives the smug openess brigade the feel good factor.

What winds me up is that the NAO are very good and extremely well intentioned people who make some very searching observations, it is just a shame that those who should take action upon their reports completely and utterly fail to do so.

Happy to continue ranting, clearer observations made with addition of real ale!

[advocatusDIABOLI]

EOD. Yes it is. Same Chap, moved on to a 'New Challenge', without actually completing the 'Last Challenge'. (or probably the one before that)

Still, when you get to that level in the civil service..... MPs are just a periodic inconvenience, and you make/govern/audit your own rules.

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