Benefits technology is too complex, warns NAO report

Supplier EDS seeks involvement in policy for simplification

Technology could reduce the complexity of the UK social security system, but too often makes it worse, says the National Audit Office (NAO).

And major public sector supplier EDS says it should be involved in policy simplification discussions to help ensure successful implementation.

A report by the NAO on benefits complexity, published last week, recommends a balance between an inflexible, one-size-fits-all benefits system, and one so detailed that it is inefficient and difficult to understand.

The Department for Work and Pensions has 35 major IT systems, and is undergoing one of the largest modernisation programmes in Europe.

In principle, technology can shield both staff and customers from complexity, and provide customised contact with individual benefits claimants. It also offers the potential for greater efficiency, says the NAO.

But there is a danger that the complexity of the benefits system could be a ‘significant obstacle’ to the successful design and delivery of IT.

‘The weaknesses in the current IT arrangements, coupled with the complex system and the need to take account of interactions between benefits, make for problems,’ says the NAO’s report.

‘Rather than assisting staff in coping with the demands of a complex system, at present, aspects of the IT infrastructure act as a factor undermining staff efficiency, as staff may have to work around technology problems.’

Incumbent supplier EDS told the NAO that it welcomes the opportunity to participate in discussions about simplifying the technology underpinning the benefits system.

‘EDS argued strongly that a range of stakeholders should be involved at an early stage in discussing the feasibility of proposals, including timescales, risks and costs when they could influence developments. This would increase the chance of successful implementation,’ says the report.