FiReControl : update report, sixteenth report of session 2013-14, report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence

The original FiReControl project was one of the worst cases of project failure that the Committee had seen, and resulted in at least GBP482 million of taxpayers' money being wasted.

The project was cancelled in 2010 but the Department has still not resolved how it will use the facilities and buildings which had been constructed.

One of the key objectives of the programme was improved interoperability and collaboration across fire authorities.

The Department now believes that most of the benefits, including recurring savings of GBP126 million, can be delivered through locally determined solutions at a cost of around GBP82 million.

But the Committee found a lack of clarity over the degree of national resilience that will be delivered by independent local fire authorities.

There are serious concerns that there are insufficient skills across all fire authorities to ensure that 22 separate local projects can be procured and delivered efficiently in so far as they involve new IT systems.