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Civil servants who missed targets got £60,000 bonus
Thursday, 18 February 2010
Four senior civil servants at the Northern Ireland Planning Service were handed bonuses of £60,000 despite failing to meet long-term targets.
The bonuses are among a series of criticisms which are contained in a hard-hitting report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which branded the Planning Service “not fit for purpose”.
The committee also found that a flagship IT project overseen by the same four civil servants is lagging four years behind schedule and is £7m over budget.
The report’s findings echo comments from Environment Minister Edwin Poots, who expressed deep dissatisfaction in a letter to the Planning Service late last year.
Mr Poots is understood to have described the processing of planning applications as “lethargic” in his letter, the details of which were revealed by the Belfast Telegraph earlier this week.
Commenting on the PAC report, its chairman Paul Maskey said the failings needed to be urgently addressed.
“In our review of the Planning Service, we found that it has consistently failed to meets its Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets for processing applications in a timely manner,” he said. “Although there has been a recent improvement, it is still not as good as customers have a right to expect. This needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.”
In its report, the PAC said the duration and extent of poor performance suggested the lack of “a strong culture of accountability” within the Planning Service.
“In the public sector, it is important that staff at all levels are held to account for poor performance. It is not at all clear that this has been the case in the Planning Service.”
The committee said it was “amazed” to find that bonuses of £60,000 had been paid to four senior civil servants since 2003/04, despite failing to meet targets over a long period of time.
Among their responsibilities was the flagship IT project, e-PIC, which was designed to allow planning processes to be delivered electronically. Originally due to be delivered by 2006, the system is not expected to be fully functional until later this year — four years behind schedule and more than £7m (130%) over budget.
The PAC concluded the Planning Service and consultants “massively under-estimated” the extent and costs of making the e-PIC system fit for use in Northern Ireland, and said there were “major lessons to be learnt”.
It added that it was “particularly disconcerting” that the four officials receiving bonuses were tasked with overseeing the e-PIC project.
The PAC states that e-PIC “represents a catalogue of project management failures” and calls for “robust action” to ensure its completion this year.
Mr Maskey added: “Failures in project management which result in capital costs that are more than double the original budget cannot be countenanced at any time. But in a climate of budget constraints this is particularly unsatisfactory.”
The report also noted a “significant decline” in levels of customer satisfaction, which stood at 32%.
It noted a marked variation in performance levels at different Planning Service divisions, adding the “postcode lottery” was “unacceptable.”
Environment Minister Edwin Poots said the report’s recommendations would be considered.
“I note and welcome the publication of the PAC's report,” he said. “I am committed to reforming and improving the planning system and welcome all recommendations and feedback that will help.
“I have recognised for some time the problems identified by the report and have been seeking to address these since I came into office.
“My officials will be considering all of the recommendations carefully over the next few weeks and thereafter a formal Memorandum of Reply will be laid before the Assembly.”
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One can only assume such bonuses are OKd by other civil servants?
Instead of allowing the consitant stupid nonesense that 'lessons will be learned' we should start using the words the public sector are very careful not let creep into the cancerous cock-up reports - the words are public sector corruption
Posted by alcapone | 19.02.10, 09:39 GMT
I used to work in Planning Service when the e-PIC programme was launched to much fanfare, lots of back slapping.... here we are £7m over budget and still nowhere. The Civil Service needs to get rid of the deadwood asap. There are too many civil servants whose only desire is to get into the civil service itself and then put their feet up as they know its practically impossible to get sacked. These senior planning staff ought to be sacked as, quite simply, they have failed in their job. End of. In the private sector if you fail in your job you are sacked. The civil service needs to look at flexi-time as well as its obviously being abused- I have frequently seen planners arrive into work in Belfast Planning Office at 10.30am- why can they not be at work at 9am like everyone else? The whole system needs shook up and sorted out. Too many civil servants and not enough work done. Simple.
Posted by B | 18.02.10, 21:21 GMT
does not surprise me one bit. senior civil servants are completely clueless and inept for the most part and more often than not cost the tax-payer more money with silly ideas to try and justify their inflated wages. i hope it is these sorts that are culled first when the inevitable cuts come after the election.
Posted by mark d | 18.02.10, 20:21 GMT
i listen to edwin poots the minister and he said that civil servants who under perform cant be sacked and paying these civil servants big bonuses for failure just proves what he says is true in the private sector these people would be sacked no wonder the country is in the mess its in civil servants and ministers who never have worked in industry just pen pushers with no experiance
Posted by norman.d | 18.02.10, 18:00 GMT
Make them pay it back - it is public money!!
Posted by SPM | 18.02.10, 17:08 GMT
As a civil servant at the lower end of the pay scale, my colleagues and I have been fighting for Equal Pay just to get to where we legally should be yet these overpaid underworked fools can pick up huge bonuses despite missing targets!!
The Equal Pay claim has been going on for near 18 months now and despite it all being agreed those effected have not received a washer to date!
Get your fingers out Management Side and NIPSA and stop dragging your heels!! We all know that this is a hard process to implement but I'm sure it shouldn't have taken this long!!
Posted by Angry AO | 18.02.10, 13:25 GMT
BT should do a wee investigation of the life of luxury the civil service have down in Clare House. Its a holiday camp and the wasters, sorry workers, there know it.
Posted by John | 18.02.10, 12:58 GMT
There should be an immediate halt to all 'bonuses' in the senior levels of public bodies. Public services are in a state of utter shambles and the middle classe professionals responsible for this mess still use public budgets as their own little piggy banks! A good healthy culling of senior public posts would release much needed funding for frontline services. And we wouldnt miss the grasping mediocrities in any of our services.
Posted by Malachy Mulligan | 18.02.10, 11:13 GMT
They might say too much if they were not kept sweet.
Posted by Malachy McAnespie | 18.02.10, 10:59 GMT
""In the public sector, it is important that staff at all levels are held to account for poor performance""
Why? It's never happened before!
Posted by StephenM | 18.02.10, 10:52 GMT
it wouldn't be so bad if this was a profitable private company and these people were making a real difference, but they are not and the cash comes out of the public purse.
I don't want my taxes going on some under achievers bonus. is ther no one out there willing to stop this practise?
Posted by MiHe | 18.02.10, 10:18 GMT
I work in the Civil Service and, believe me, this is nothing compared to how much the senior staff really cost the country for little or no return. Seems to be the norm in life in general these days....
Posted by Mudinureye | 18.02.10, 09:48 GMT
They should be made to pay it back, just like MPs.
Posted by Chris | 18.02.10, 09:44 GMT
Only £60,000 ? That sounds very reasonable indeed.
-Not!
The world has gone mad.
Posted by T J McClean | 18.02.10, 08:52 GMT
the only action for the civil service is suspend ALL bonuses for that department and publiclly name and shame the 'people' who accepted this money. nice to see my £350 tax deduction a month goes to gangsters in belfast castle.
Posted by marko | 18.02.10, 08:42 GMT
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! You couldn't make it up!
Posted by Pat | 18.02.10, 07:26 GMT