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IT & Systems

Met under fire for costly HR overhaul

A major overhaul of the Met Police’s HR system, which has taken some four years to complete, has come under fire for being £10m over budget. The system, developed by French IT firm Steria, was to create a self-service computer programme and call centre that would deal with holidays, sick leave, most wages and other personnel issues for the Met’s 52,000 officers and staff.

The original go-live date has been delayed by almost six months because the technology has yet to be developed fully. A Met spokesperson said: ‘It was not possible to be specific on the date, but it will be the second half of this year.’

The Met’s HR director, Martin Tiplady, told HR magazine last year that ‘until we have tested the new technological platform I can’t really sleep’. Peter Smyth of the Metropolitan Police Federation said: ‘It’s disappointing that this project should continue to cost more money at a time when budgets are tight.’
03/06/2010

HMRC electronic P60 campaign a success

HMRC has amended PAYE regulations to allow employers the right to issue electronic P60s from 6 April.

The Institute of Payroll Professionals (IPP) has lobbied on the issue for several years and published a survey last year showing that 90% of its members were in favour of digital P60s.

The IPP’s associate director of policy, research and strategic visibility, Karen Thomson, said: ‘This is a fantastic example of where, with statistical evidence, HMRC has shown it wants to work with employers to help reduce their payroll burdens.’

She said one of the main advantages of ‘eP60s’ is the time and cost saved if employees request a duplicate form.

Ms Thomson added: ‘In addition, eP60s could offer a quicker and safer method of distribution, as well as alleviate the risk of identity fraud.’

Almost all employers are already required to submit P35s and P14s online, and from April 2011 all employers will also be required to submit P45s and P46s electronically.

VocaLink claims PAYE will improve with new system

The company charged with implementing the Conservative party’s plans to centralise the PAYE process has hit back at opposition by payrollers, saying HMRC, employers and taxpayers will ‘benefit largely’ from the new system.

VocaLink’s head of government and public sector, Peter Seymour, said: ‘The new system will remove a lot of complexity… not least it will remove the need for tax codes.

’For employers it will also remove a lot of red tape and reduce overheads, particularly as more processing has been put on them over the last couple of years. For taxpayers it will provide a more accurate system, particularly those with more than one source of income, such as the over 65s.’

He added that the cost savings from the new system ‘will be made in different areas, centrally within HMRC and within the employers’.

Responding to accusations that the new system would add a layer of extra cost, Mr Seymour said it was ‘not the intention’. He added: ‘The intention is to take away cost and improve accuracy, particularly in those cases where people have multiple sources of employment, which the current system doesn’t handle quite so well.’

He explained: ‘We are just the technology adviser. All we can put across is how the technology is supported. It’s down to HMRC to consult on the proposals put forward.’

Call for electronic P60s

The Institute of Payroll Professionals is lobbying HM Revenue & Customs to allow employers to issue P60s to employees electronically.

The move by the IPP follows a survey of its members, in which 90% of respondents voted in favour of a change in legislation to allow P60s to be sent out in an electronic format. Fewer than 10% of respondents did not want change to the legislation.

Karen Thomson, associate director of policy, research and strategic visibility at the IPP, said: ‘As many of the returns that payroll must submit to HMRC are already electronic, including P14s, there is no reason why P60s should not be issued in the same way. A lot of employers already use online facilities for things such as e-payslips, so expanding this to P60s makes a lot of sense,’ Ms Thomson added.

Some of the benefits of permitting electronic P60s – as highlighted by respondents to the survey – include saved time in printing and posting P60s; ensuring employees receive P60s by the deadline; time saved providing employees with duplicate copies; reduced costs for employers; and improvements in security.

Transmission of electronic P14s and P35s is compulsory for all employers from the end of this tax year, while electronic in-year forms such as P45s become compulsory from April 2011.
01/09/09

HMRC’s PAYE Service goes live

The practical upshot of the HM Revenue & Custom’s major new upgrades to its PAYE service as of July will be that individuals can call one tax office and their details will be available altogether. The move is good news, particularly for contract workers or those who don’t have straightforward tax arrangements. One company executive commented wryly, ‘It will be good news for most but some liked the confusion of multiple tax centres for details; it helped avoid tax.’

The following is an edited letter which HMRC sent to its users about the upgrades to its PAYE service. ‘We wrote to you on 8 June to tell you about the significant improvements we are making to our PAYE Service in July 2009 as part of ongoing improvements to customer service and our internal processes.

‘We have now completed the major upgrades to our IT systems that are central to our plans. Our people who handle customer telephone queries have access to the new system and are developing their skills and expertise.

‘Employers should continue to submit their data as normal. Please note that we will now process all PAYE data submitted online and stored during the period of service interruption and will resume the normal issue of notices of revised tax coding to employers and employees as we make the PAYE Service available to our staff.’
30/07/09

Poor working practices increase risk of ID fraud

A recent, independent survey by eCopy, a provider of printer document imaging software, has found that most organisations are still photocopying documents containing sensitive data, thereby increasing the risk of data loss and identity fraud.

The study, Effective data protection – reality and risks, was carried out online and surveyed more than 100 senior executives and operational and administrative staff from the public, private and voluntary sectors.

The research found that seven in 10 organisations frequently make paper copies of original documentation, with 15% doing so as a matter of course. Nearly one in five frequently make a paper copy, which is then used to make an electronic copy. Many respondents said they make paper copies of documents that contain personal and sensitive information, including correspondence (50%), financial (47%), identification (34%) and legal (30%).

In terms of paper document disposal, nearly seven in 10 organisations recognise the need to shred documents that are no longer required, but one-quarter fail to dispose of documents securely. An alarming 22% recycle them without shredding, while 3% throw paper copies in the bin.

eCopy sales director for the UK and Ireland, Simon Hill, said: ‘The research highlights a need for improved organisational procedures to govern copying of sensitive documentation, its storage and disposal after use.

‘Intuitive document imaging solutions such as eCopy ShareScan eliminate the risk of fraud when disposing of paper documents,’ said Mr Hill. ‘They also improve productivity and enforce better compliance via comprehensive audit trails.’
30/07/09

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