Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 2
2
Accepted
Explore using Airwave charge control savings to fund ESN transition and Airwave maintenance activities.
Conclusion
The Department’s failure to deliver ESN creates a significant cost for the emergency services who must pay to fund ESN and to maintain Airwave for longer. Delays have meant the Department itself has actually spent less than it expected on ESN, but the ultimate users of ESN have had to pay more. The emergency services must contribute, alongside funding from the Department, the Department of Health & Social Care and the Scottish and Welsh governments, to the cost of both ESN and Airwave, and will get no benefit from ESN until Airwave is turned off. Emergency services need to decide how to replace ageing Airwave devices and control rooms, but do not have enough information to know when to do this, because the Department has no timetable for ESN. Emergency services are facing financial pressures and have had to temporarily disband teams who will work on the transition to ESN, risking the loss of vital skills. The Department has not created any specific mechanism for helping emergency services bear the extra costs created by failing to deliver ESN. The CMA has proposed a charge control on Airwave which, once implemented, will make Airwave less expensive to run. But Airwave will still require investment to replace potentially obsolescent infrastructure and technology, and to ensure it keeps operating at its current good performance level. The Department does not yet understand the extent of these costs. Recommendation 2: As part of the new ESN business case, the Department should explore with users how savings created by the CMA imposing a charge control on Airwave can be used to help fund transition activities and new Airwave devices as well as maintaining Airwave. 6 The Emergency Services Network
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the recommendation and will continue to engage with users to determine how best to support transition activities, acknowledging scope to reduce local costs. The ESN business case is being reviewed to reflect the CMA ruling and new procurements.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. effect, there will be scope to reduce local costs for users of the Airwave service and the department will continue to engage with users to determine how best to support user organisations with transition activities. Scope for central support is limited by the way government funds are allocated across departments, policy areas and programmes. This will constrain the ability to pass the charge control savings directly onto users. The reduced costs of Airwave will result in an overall government saving, rather than a department or programme gain. Funding decisions beyond the financial year 2024/25 are subject to future HM Treasury spending reviews based on the programme’s approved business case. The ESMCP is reviewing the business case to reflect the CMA ruling to impose a charge control and procurement of new suppliers. Users are expected to realise savings from reduced Airwave costs. Delayed spend on ESN devices will offset the cost of new Airwave devices. The programme business case includes agreed principles that govern how costs are allocated centrally or to user groups. These principles can be varied only with agreement from all users and funding sponsor bodies. The programme is engaging closely with user organisations to provide support for their transition activities, while operating in accordance with Home Office and HMG governance and funding structures.