Govt’s spending watchdog slams handling of PPARS fiasco

The Government's spending watchdog has severely criticised the introduction of the controversial computer system designed the streamline the health service's payroll.

In a report published today, the Comptroller and Auditor General said that the costs of the PPARS system were never properly estimated and that management of the project was disjointed and cumbersome.

The cost of PPARS was initially estimated at €9m, but the Comptroller and Auditor General said today that it had already cost €131m by the time its introduction was suspended in October.

He also criticised the use of consultants in relation to the project, saying they had been paid €57m under deals that saw the State carrying all the risk.