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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jan/24/offender-tagging-scheme-is-catastrophic-waste-of-public-money
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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Offender tagging scheme is 'catastrophic waste of public money' | Offender tagging scheme is 'catastrophic waste of public money' |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| MPs’ report says GPS tags scheme is over budget and uses technology from 2011 | MPs’ report says GPS tags scheme is over budget and uses technology from 2011 |
| Alan Travis Home affairs editor | Alan Travis Home affairs editor |
| Wed 24 Jan 2018 00.01 GMT | Wed 24 Jan 2018 00.01 GMT |
| Last modified on Wed 24 Jan 2018 10.08 GMT | |
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| The Ministry of Justice’s programme to introduce the next generation of satellite tracking tags for offenders has been “fundamentally flawed” and proved “a catastrophic waste of public money”, MPs have concluded. | The Ministry of Justice’s programme to introduce the next generation of satellite tracking tags for offenders has been “fundamentally flawed” and proved “a catastrophic waste of public money”, MPs have concluded. |
| The long-promised programme to introduce the GPS tags is already five years behind schedule and more than £60m over its £130m original budget. | The long-promised programme to introduce the GPS tags is already five years behind schedule and more than £60m over its £130m original budget. |
| The Commons public accounts committee (PAC) report published on Wednesday discloses that when the system is finally rolled out next year it will rely on the same technology that was available when the programme was launched in 2011. | The Commons public accounts committee (PAC) report published on Wednesday discloses that when the system is finally rolled out next year it will rely on the same technology that was available when the programme was launched in 2011. |
| The MPs’ report says the simple idea of replacing the existing contracts for electronic tags was made “overly ambitious, overly complicated and has been poorly delivered. The programme has so far been a catastrophic waste of public money which has failed to deliver the intended benefits.” | The MPs’ report says the simple idea of replacing the existing contracts for electronic tags was made “overly ambitious, overly complicated and has been poorly delivered. The programme has so far been a catastrophic waste of public money which has failed to deliver the intended benefits.” |
| The report says many of the lessons that the MoJ claims to have learned from the experience are common sense. | The report says many of the lessons that the MoJ claims to have learned from the experience are common sense. |
| The introduction of next-generation tags has been promised by successive prime ministers since Tony Blair in 2004. Technology introduced in 2011 for 65,000 offenders was supposed to replace the first-generation two-dimensional radio frequency tags, which can only monitor whether an offender is at a particular address or not. It is currently used to monitor 12,000 offenders’ compliance with home detention night-time curfews imposed as part of their early release from prison. | The introduction of next-generation tags has been promised by successive prime ministers since Tony Blair in 2004. Technology introduced in 2011 for 65,000 offenders was supposed to replace the first-generation two-dimensional radio frequency tags, which can only monitor whether an offender is at a particular address or not. It is currently used to monitor 12,000 offenders’ compliance with home detention night-time curfews imposed as part of their early release from prison. |
| The PAC deputy chair, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, said: “The Ministry of Justice took an all-singing, all-dancing approach to what could have been a relatively simple procurement exercise. The evidence to support a wholesale transformation of the tagging system was weak at best but the ministry pushed ahead anyway. | The PAC deputy chair, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, said: “The Ministry of Justice took an all-singing, all-dancing approach to what could have been a relatively simple procurement exercise. The evidence to support a wholesale transformation of the tagging system was weak at best but the ministry pushed ahead anyway. |
| “This ill-fated adventure into the possibilities of technology has so far cost taxpayers some £60m. The new tags are expected to be rolled out more than five years later than planned and, even then, the system will rely on the same form of technology that was available when the programme launched.” | “This ill-fated adventure into the possibilities of technology has so far cost taxpayers some £60m. The new tags are expected to be rolled out more than five years later than planned and, even then, the system will rely on the same form of technology that was available when the programme launched.” |
| The PAC report says the MoJ’s approach was driven by its aims of increasing competition and participation by small companies. | The PAC report says the MoJ’s approach was driven by its aims of increasing competition and participation by small companies. |
| It appointed a small company, Buddi, to develop and produce the new tags in August 2013 but ended its involvement seven months later “after being unable to resolve fundamental differences”. In particular, officials wanted the company to hand over its intellectual property in the new tags for nothing. | It appointed a small company, Buddi, to develop and produce the new tags in August 2013 but ended its involvement seven months later “after being unable to resolve fundamental differences”. In particular, officials wanted the company to hand over its intellectual property in the new tags for nothing. |
| A contract awarded to a second small firm, Steatite, which had “scored below the minimum benchmark in the procurement”, was ended in November 2015 after growing delays to the programme. | A contract awarded to a second small firm, Steatite, which had “scored below the minimum benchmark in the procurement”, was ended in November 2015 after growing delays to the programme. |
| The programme was originally expected to reduce tagging costs by between £9m and £30m a year but so far it has failed to deliver any tangible benefit. | The programme was originally expected to reduce tagging costs by between £9m and £30m a year but so far it has failed to deliver any tangible benefit. |
| A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said they had fundamentally changed their approach to the programme in 2015 and claimed they were now in “a strong position”. | A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said they had fundamentally changed their approach to the programme in 2015 and claimed they were now in “a strong position”. |
| “Electronic monitoring is a valuable tool in supervising offenders and protecting the public, but we have been clear there were a number of challenges to our expansion of the electronic monitoring programme. As a direct result, we fundamentally changed our approach in 2015, expanding and strengthening our commercial teams and bringing responsibility for oversight of the programme in-house,” the spokesperson said. | “Electronic monitoring is a valuable tool in supervising offenders and protecting the public, but we have been clear there were a number of challenges to our expansion of the electronic monitoring programme. As a direct result, we fundamentally changed our approach in 2015, expanding and strengthening our commercial teams and bringing responsibility for oversight of the programme in-house,” the spokesperson said. |
| “We are now in a strong position to continue improving confidence in the service and providing better for value for money for the taxpayer.” | “We are now in a strong position to continue improving confidence in the service and providing better for value for money for the taxpayer.” |
| Prisons and probation | Prisons and probation |
| Central government | |
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