Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 2
2
Not Addressed
HMPPS remains reliant on outdated technology which puts the tagging service at risk of failing.
Recommendation
HMPPS remains reliant on outdated technology which puts the tagging service at risk of failing. Due to the prolonged delays in the programme, HMPPS is relying on legacy technology and will have to use its current case management system until at least 2024, which will cost £9.8 million for remediation work and licensing costs. As HMPPS has been using its current system since 2012, many of its applications are no longer supported by manufacturers and have severe risks, with outdated hardware and software. The telephone system Capita uses in the live service has failed six times since May 2021. HMPPS asserts that there have not been any undetected breaches by offenders, as it recovers data after an outage. But this clearly remains a significant risk until it replaces the system. HMPPS is updating and replacing systems to ensure they are stable and scalable as the number of people fitted with tags rises. It opted not to simulate additional tagging volumes on its existing systems to see how well they can cope with caseload increases, but asserts that it will improve resilience by moving the system to the cloud. Recommendation: To provide assurance that the risk of system failure will not materialise, HMPPS should explain the following in its Treasury Minute response: • what progress it has made in delivering planned remediation work on its case management system; • how well its systems are coping with caseload increases; and • how it will ensure that future digital contracts will factor in routine IT upgrades and maintenance. 6 Transforming electronic monitoring services
Government Response Summary
The government provides a response related to air quality standards, which is completely unrelated to the recommendation about HMPPS's outdated technology and electronic monitoring systems.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation Recommendation implemented The government is satisfied that the best available evidence that meets the stringent requirements for assessing compliance with the annual mean Nitrogen Dioxide (NO ) limit value under the Air Quality Standards Regulations (2010) (AQSR) has been used to identify areas in exceedance and bring them into the programme. An uncertainty of around +/-30% is not unusual for a model of this scale and complexity, and assessments have demonstrated that the national model meets the uncertainty requirements for assessing compliance under the AQSR. The government continues to work with external experts to identify and implement further targeted improvements to the national model to ensure it uses the best available evidence and reflects the impact of local measures. The government has also set up a new monitoring network which has greatly increased the number of locations where compliance with NO limits is assessed using measurements. This network is achieving lower levels of uncertainty (<15%) and has more than tripled the number of roadside measurements used in the NO compliance assessment. Since both modelled and measured values contain uncertainties, the government cannot definitively guarantee that all areas of exceedance have been identified. Where local authorities’ air quality monitoring identifies a potential NO breach, they can share this evidence with the Joint Air Quality Unit. Whether a locally identified breach should be tackled through the NO programme or through the Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) regime will depend on whether the monitoring data meets the specific siting and data quality requirements of the AQSR.