MPs slam ‘outdated and difficult to use’ IT systems at Defra

10th May 2023


The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) needs a complete overhaul of its IT systems, which are “outdated and difficult to use”, a cross-party group of MPs has warned today.

In a damning report, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) also describes Defra’s legacy IT systems as “inefficient, expensive, and at constant risk of failure or cyber-attack”.

Furthermore, the department still handles around 14 million transactions per year that involve paper forms, which the MPs say is “inefficient and expensive”.

Defra estimates that it needs to spend £726m on modernising legacy services between 2021 and 2025, and that fully transforming its digital systems could save £20m-£25m every year. It is currently undertaking a “fundamental review” and potential restructure of its organisation

However, the PAC warns that a lack of overall vision means any changes made now to its digital systems may not be appropriate in the longer-term and could lead to wasted time and money.

Deputy chair, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, said: “Defra’s IT systems are so outmoded and disconnected – where they exist at all, instead of paper forms – that, in some cases, the professionals who keep our food, water and air safe have been forced to buy obsolete equipment just to fill in the forms to fulfil their regulatory responsibilities.

“We are facing down rapidly spreading animal diseases, maybe the next pandemic, with systems that may rely on moving paper forms around. This cannot continue.”

The report claims that 80% of Defra’s IT applications remain in extended support, possibly incurring additional charges for updates, or are completely unsupported by their supplier, and says that it hasn’t given enough attention to the impact of its poor digital services on its users.

It doesn’t measure the cost to users of its unmodernised digital services, so it is not possible to assess the total burden they place on other organisations and the wider economy.

For example, previously, vets had to buy old laptops to be able to run the programmes they needed to use.

The report also states that Defra is struggling to recruit the digital, data and technology staff it needs, and remains over-reliant on contractors which can cost up to twice as much.

The PAC is now calling on the department to explain what new approaches it will adopt to recruit staff and reduce its reliance on contractors and temporary staff to provide digital skills.

Sir Geoffrey continued: “We on the PAC will also not accept a situation where Defra spends hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ money on a disjointed upgrade programme only to find that it no longer fits the structure of new systems of air quality monitoring, food and clean water supply in this country.

“It’s time for a complete overhaul at Defra, with a concurrent, pro-active digital strategy that matches every step.”

Image credit: Shutterstock


Transform articles

World’s first ‘global stocktake’ on climate change published

The UN has published its first official ‘global stocktake’ of progress tackling climate change since the Paris Agreement, which shows that ambition and implementation “must be accelerated rapidly”.

14th September 2023

Read more

Almost half of UK adults feel worse about the climate crisis due to government policy, with one in six suffering with ‘eco-anxiety’, new research suggests.

12th September 2023

Read more

The UK government has unveiled plans to relax “defective” EU-derived laws on nutrient pollution in order to boost house building.

30th August 2023

Read more

The UK needs a new public investment fund that provides green companies with finance in exchange for part ownership and a share of future profits, a think tank has suggested.

25th August 2023

Read more

The EU and US are providing the meat and diary industry with around 1,000 times more subsidies than plant-based and lab-grown alternatives, a new study has found.

23rd August 2023

Read more

Countries in the Global South are trapped in relying on fossil fuel production to repay debts, a new report from the charity Debt Justice claims.

22nd August 2023

Read more

More than two-thirds of UK adults support the country’s target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, with less than a fifth opposed, new polling has uncovered.

8th August 2023

Read more

The world’s obsession with pursuing economic growth at all costs is at a tipping point. Huw Morris reports on how the alternative – degrowth – is gathering momentum

3rd August 2023

Read more

Media enquires

Looking for an expert to speak at an event or comment on an item in the news?

Find an expert