Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 7
7
The Ministry and HMPPS told us that they have learnt lessons from pursuing technology which...
Conclusion
The Ministry and HMPPS told us that they have learnt lessons from pursuing technology which have to be developed from scratch. HMPPS took a detailed and prescriptive approach to setting requirements for Gemini. This introduced complexity and inflexibility, and limited innovation in the programme.11 The Ministry told us that at the outset of the programme, government tended to prefer “bespoke and better” technology. Following a review of the programme in 2016, it opted to buy hardware off-the-shelf and is now also pursuing off-the-shelf hardware and software in its expansion programme. It explained that given how technology had now moved on and the range of products which were now available on the market, it would not be sensible to pursue bespoke solutions.12 Governance and scrutiny
Government Response
A response document is linked to this report, dated 14 December 2022. Response attribution to this conclusion has not been verified. Read the response document ↗