Government IT systems are failing local people, says former MP

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 19th Sep 2005

Former MP for Guildford, Sue Doughty, called on the Government yesterday for more information about Government computer systems .

Speaking at the Liberal Democrat federal conference debate on tax credits, Sue Doughty slammed the Government for bringing misery to millions of British families whose lives have been turned upside down by overpayment of tax credits which are now being demanded back by the Inland Revenue.

Sue said, "Taxpayers' money is being wasted and the system is failing people. This is unacceptable. How could the Government have got it so very wrong? And just as importantly, what are they doing to prevent similar disasters?"

Sue added, "As an MP, I had many local constituents writing to me about tax credit problems. The Government is still trying to claw back money they have already spent, even though they believed it was rightfully theirs - as the Inland Revenue had told them.

"The Government needs to be held to account over this terrible mess, at the root of which is a badly designed IT system. Time and again, the Government has proved that it cannot manage big IT projects. The CSA problem is another case in point. This is precisely why the proposed ID card system will be a shambles if it is pushed through Parliament.

"We know that the Government should be reviewing all IT systems to see if they are going to work and yet in far too many cases this just isn't happening. We need an open review and people need confidence that systems are being designed to do the job not to make a difficult life worse."