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Post by vicky on Jan 4, 2024 11:38:18 GMT
I presume that the reconstruction in episode 3 of Paula Vennells' appearance before a Parliamentary Select Committe with Nadhim Zahawi playing himself was scripted verbatim from the minutes. If so, full marks to Mr Zahawi for the way he put her in her place. I was cheering him on!
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Post by kakewalk on Jan 4, 2024 13:09:39 GMT
I was thinking similar to you Marion. When I worked for DWP I was in a team which was overseeing the introduction of a new computer system. The pilots which were run before it went live often resulted in redesigns in function and delayed the launch by, I think, 2 years. Managers weren’t at all happy but fully acknowledged that it was essential that it was good for purpose. Even after did go live, I was tasked with keeping a log of any failings (which were many and frequent) and my top manager took it to the designers once a month for about a year until things settled down. For anything that couldn’t be fixed we worked out a ‘work-around’ to get round it (and enabled the correct amount to be paid) until such time as a major rebuild could be scheduled. The introduction of this system dominated the day job for quite a few years, and I would hope the Post Office would have conducted something very similar.
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Post by vicky on Jan 4, 2024 14:13:00 GMT
Kakewalk, I worked for a previous incarnation of the same department as you but before everything was computerised. There was a major change in the way benefits were calculated which took months and months and months of testing with dry runs plus staff training before it replaced the previous system. Lots of snags were discovered that would have adversely affected payments, the system was adjusted and when it did become live it all went smoothly. That obviously didn't happen with Horizon.
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Post by kakewalk on Jan 4, 2024 16:56:40 GMT
Absolutely. I was with DWP well before things were computerised at local level, (back when it was still DHSS) but wasn’t part of any of that testing. The one I was involved in was replacing the existing legacy benefits and indeed, an outside company was tasked with developing it. As you say, I would have hoped that the Post Office would have undertaken vast testing of the technology long before it was rolled out.
However, it’s this issue of remote access by the developers that is worrying in this scandal. Not at all sure how this was allowed to slip under the radar. That along with the categorical denial that there were problems at all!
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Post by marion on Jan 4, 2024 20:25:04 GMT
The petition is up to 235k now! That’s nearly 200k in one day!
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Post by vicky on Jan 4, 2024 22:07:54 GMT
This should win every award going. It has been totally brilliant.
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Post by spinninghead on Jan 4, 2024 23:46:16 GMT
Who would trust the Post Office now?
The Post Office must be dismantled.
If there is to be a replacement it must be fully accountable to the public. And with no power to torment and convict anyone.
That sounds simplistic - but we deserve integrity from such an institution.
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Post by kakewalk on Jan 5, 2024 1:04:17 GMT
One thing I don’t understand and which wasn’t addressed in this, if it was only Fujitsu who could access the post office branches remotely, why did they do so? I know they could make corrections, but why add the false accounting. Under instruction to benefit the PO covertly? Error on their part? Did Fijitsu get a share of the “profits”?
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Post by kakewalk on Jan 5, 2024 1:05:12 GMT
Should have said, I haven’t yet watched the Real Story episode yet, so I guess it might be covered then.
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Post by pearl06 on Jan 5, 2024 6:38:52 GMT
I wondered that too. The whistle-blower was brave.
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Post by marion on Jan 5, 2024 9:48:30 GMT
I watched the last episode of the drama last night and was well and truly welling up at the end . The whole cast was superb in this and I was very taken by Will Mellor and Monica Dolan as two extremely believable victims. Excellent programme and I hope it gets some BAFTAs. I shall catch the documentary later.
The petition is now at 372k!!!!!!! I did see somewhere online that neither Sunak nor Starmer will pursue the matter though.
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Post by vicky on Jan 5, 2024 10:56:38 GMT
<I did see somewhere online that neither Sunak nor Starmer will pursue the matter though.>
I read that Paula Vennells' CBE was put forward by our new Foreign Secretary.
Wasn't Starmer the DPP for some of the time while this was going on?
So there we are.....
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Post by vicky on Jan 5, 2024 11:59:47 GMT
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Post by marion on Jan 6, 2024 9:37:50 GMT
Petition now at 650k.
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Post by kakewalk on Jan 9, 2024 17:05:16 GMT
Well, at least she’s decided to hand her gong back. I think it’s the least she could do.
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Anymore to come?
