Time to stop big paydays, says MP
THE firm behind the Horizon IT system that caused the Post Office accounting scandal should not be handed any more government contracts, MPs say.
Fujitsu is still being allowed to bid for the lucrative work after its faulty software led to hundreds of innocent sub-postmasters and mistresses being wrongly prosecuted.
Since 2012 – more than a decade after the convictions began – the public sector has awarded Fujitsu almost 200 contracts worth £6.8billion in total, analyst Tussell says.
Fujitsu is one of the Government’s “strategic suppliers”, which typically means it receives more than £100million in contracts per year. Labour MP Kate Osborne, who has campaigned on the scandal, said: “It is astounding the Government is continuing to award them billions of pounds worth of contracts. The least they could do is not give them any new contracts. It’s a kick in the teeth for the former postmasters.”
The Government has said Fujitsu may be forced to contribute cash for compensation, but is refusing to stop the Japanese firm bidding for contracts until a public inquiry into the scandal is over. The probe was established in 2020.
Journalist Tony Collins, the former executive editor at Computer Weekly, which first exposed the scandal, said: “I smile wryly when I hear ministers saying they’re going to get redress from Fujitsu. It’s not going to happen.
“They can’t be forced to do anything. They are in a uniquely strong position.”
He added: “Telling civil servants they can’t use Fujitsu is like telling them they can’t have lunch. Fujitsu is intricately woven into the fabric of the government machine. The Government couldn’t operate without them.”
Fujitsu said: “The inquiry is examining complex events stretching back over 20 years to understand who knew what, when, and what they did with that knowledge.
“The inquiry has reinforced the devastating impact on postmasters’ lives... Fujitsu has apologised for its role in their suffering.
“Fujitsu is fully committed to supporting the inquiry in order to understand what happened and to learn from it.” Ministers are looking at overturning the convictions.
This is astounding – a kick in the teeth for victims
KATE OSBORNE ON THE AWARDING OF CONTRACTS