Ulster Unionist Leader and Chair of Stormont`s Finance Committee, Steve Aiken OBE MLA, has described the level of strategic failure in the implementation of the Land & Property Services` LandWeb project as ‘staggering’.

Mr Aiken said:

“The NI Audit Office report into the Land & Property Services’ LandWeb project delivered in conjunction with BT makes for damning reading. Questions will be asked about the culture in Stormont which has allowed the contract costs to rocket to 138% more than the original agreement value despite recommendations from the Public Accounts Committee in 2010. Total payments increased from an initial estimate of £46 million to £97.89 million at April 2019 and LPS estimates that the total contract value will reach £106.9million by July 2021.

“The level of strategic failure is staggering and the Comptroller and Auditor General doesn`t miss and hit the wall when he says ‘there is no evidence to clearly demonstrate that the project has delivered value for money.’

“We need to know why the 2010 recommendations from the Public Accounts Committee were not fully implemented. The public deserve answers and they need to be reassured that safeguards are urgently put in place to stop this happening again. If those changes aren`t made then what is there to stop this happening again?

“I will be asking the Minister for Finance to provide urgent clarity. The culture of secrecy, obfuscation and deliberately withholding information is no longer acceptable; neither is appalling contract management, effectively ignoring the advice of the Public Accounts Committee and awarding large contracts to multi-nationals without effective safeguards for the people of Northern Ireland.”