This Is Guernsey

By Gemma Hockey

SOCIAL SECURITY’S overspend of £3m. is an unfolding  horror story, with key chapters of lack of accountability and communication, according to Deputy Jean Pritchard.

The overspend has led the Public Accounts Committee to recommend that the department’s autonomy over its budget should be scrapped.

The Scrutiny Committee chairwoman was one of about 20 current and past deputies who turned out for a meeting on Friday organised by the department to argue its side of the PAC review of its spend on its new computer system.

‘It sounded a bit like a horror story unfolding, to be honest,’ said Deputy Pritchard.

‘Despite it being a massive project, there was little show of control and nobody kept on top of it.’

Social Security minister Diane Lewis has insisted that it was not an overspend – the project was evolutionary and costs had not been fixed since the department began its move away from a mainframe computer system in 1998.

Deputy Pritchard said Social Security chief officer Malcolm Nutley admitted the department had failed to keep Treasury and its forerunner, the  Advisory and Finance Committee, apprised, as had been requested.

‘Social Security had told Advisory and Finance it would keep them informed, but it admits it did not.

‘I think that was very disappointing because it’s one thing to keep in touch with civil servants, but politicians seem to have been left in the dark – that should not have happened,’ she said.

Deputy Pritchard said the spending was available in the accounts of the annual Budget, but that was not a good enough excuse.

‘It’s a minefield for States members because the department handles its accounts in a different way compared to all other departments.

‘We haven’t got consistency,’ she said.

She added that too much blame was being put on the PAC for its revealing of the overspend.

‘From a Scrutiny perspective, my concern was that there was too much emphasis [at the meeting] on shooting the messenger and I felt that was a bit unfair on the PAC.

‘People were calling for more time, Social Security members past and present. However, that would be after the election.

‘No matter how Social Security puts it, it was an overspend.’

She said it was right for the PAC to bring the report to the States now, adding that spending had got out of control.

‘It cost 85% more than was budgeted and I’m quite surprised it got that out of control. Why wasn’t action being taken?’

‘I think a lot of people are calling for accountability when mistakes are made and here we go again. I think we as States members have got a long way to go before we can talk about accountability.

‘We can talk the talk, but we don’t walk the walk.’