Those Northern Ireland Inquiries - it is not just the lawyers coining it
That lawyers have done very nicely out of their fees for the Saville Inquiry (£98M and counting) is a matter of record, but Owen Paterson, our man in Shropshire North has wheedled out the IT costs - equipment and consultants - for Saville and lesser known inquiries too, and it ain't pretty:
Of the less well known inquiries - all involving dead people, Nelson was a Republican-friendly lawyer, Robert Hamill a civilian and Billy Wright a Loyalist paramilitary. That the costs of the Nelson Inquiry are so lawyer-heavy is doubtless what she would have wanted.
Taking the inquiry with the lowest IT cost, Hamill's at the bagatelle of £4.2m, one gets a worthy looking website, but what else is uncertain. Anyone with IT project management experience who can contextualise costs would win my undying gratitude.
Of the less well known inquiries - all involving dead people, Nelson was a Republican-friendly lawyer, Robert Hamill a civilian and Billy Wright a Loyalist paramilitary. That the costs of the Nelson Inquiry are so lawyer-heavy is doubtless what she would have wanted.
Taking the inquiry with the lowest IT cost, Hamill's at the bagatelle of £4.2m, one gets a worthy looking website, but what else is uncertain. Anyone with IT project management experience who can contextualise costs would win my undying gratitude.
Labels: Ulster, Where your money goes
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on Friday, February 27, 2009 at 10:32 am.
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I am constantly amazed by the huge quantities the government spends on IT. I have no idea what they are spending the money on, but trust me: they are definitely not getting value for money.
As a website designer, the answer to your question is, rather like a builder's quote - give it a punt and look at the clients face for the reaction. Anything less than shock and you've underquoted.
Ask a government official and you've underquoted if he keeps his nerve and holes the putt he's just lining up for.
(Apologies, graphic nicked for my blog if you don't object)
Obo - all too true.
Geoff - you are family, so my pleasure.
Thanks for the insight.
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