The Post Office has actually paid greater than ₤ 600m of public cash to proceed making use of the bug-ridden Horizon IT system regardless of choosing it required to be changed greater than a years back.
It has actually arised that the federal government was advised concerning prospective issues with the initial ₤ 548m offer the Post Office struck with the Japanese business Fujitsu prior to it was checked in 1999.
The after that head of state, Tony Blair, and various other elderly Labour federal government numbers understood that, under the regards to the offer, the Post Office would certainly not possess the core computer system code to Horizon, which would certainly make it challenging to ever before move distributor, according to the BBC.
To day, the Post Office has actually invested ₤ 2.5 bn on agreements with Fujitsu, consisting of ₤ 600m on expansions given that it began searching for brand-new providers in 2012, and inevitably trying to construct its very own innovation, called the New Branch IT system (NBIT).
The Post Office quit exclusive prosecutions based upon Horizon IT information in 2015, after greater than 900 branch-owner drivers were mistakenly prosecuted over shortages arising from the defective system, a method it has actually guaranteed not to reboot.
The Post Office began the search for a brand-new distributor in 2012 and asked IBM to construct a substitute system to Horizon in 2015, however that job was deserted at a price of ₤ 40m in 2016.
A later on prepare to construct a brand-new system working on Amazon’s cloud computer system needed to be deserted in 2022.
The embattled service has actually been creating its very own exclusive system, NBIT, which was implied to roll out this year.
However, it has actually been pestered with hold-ups and raising prices that might go to greater than ₤ 1bn, elevating questions the brand-new system will certainly ever before be presented, with the Post Office and Fujitsu confessing they are most likely to still be collaborating up until 2030.
“We are applying adjustments throughout the whole organisation to make sure that we can construct a Post Office suitable for the future, essentially altered and with postmasters at its heart,” a speaker for the Post Office stated.
According to the BBC, Blair obtained an upgrade from the Treasury in May 1999 caution that conversations with a Fujitsu subsidiary, ICL Pathway, over the regards to an offer for Horizon had “foundered”.
One of the problems associated with the effects of not managing all copyright legal rights, with the Treasury claiming Fujitsu “would be in a strong position to drive a costly settlement with the Post Office”.
A representative for Blair did not straight resolve his expertise of the copyright possession trouble however informed the BBC that the previous head of state “took very seriously the issues raised about the Horizon contract” at the time.
after e-newsletter promo
“The final decision was taken after an investigation by an independent panel recommended it was viable,” the speaker stated. “It is now clear that the Horizon product was seriously flawed, leading to tragic and completely unacceptable consequences, and Mr Blair has deep sympathy with all those affected.”
In the exact same year a paper was sent out to Gordon Brown, the after that chancellor, caution of the problems over code possession.
A representative for Brown stated he “would not have been shown the memo” from 20 May 1999 and he would certainly have been duplicated in as a “formality”.
The speaker informed the BBC: “He was not involved in any work related to the purchasing, award or management of the Horizon contract.”
This month, the postal priest Gareth Thomas revealed an additional ₤ 276.9 m of financing for the organisation, consisting of ₤ 136m for future innovation for this fiscal year.
“We are working at pace to ensure Post Office has the technology it needs across the business, including replacing the Horizon system,” he stated. “The fact Post Office is still using Horizon indicates past underinvestment, which can’t be rectified overnight, so we need to ensure postmasters have the tools they need to continue serving their customers.”
