Reply to HC 162 (ISBN 9780215530349)

Work of the Committee 2008-09 : Third report of session 2009-10, report, together with formal Minutes

This report concludes that the blame for G4S's failure to come up with the required venue security staff rests firmly and solely with the company itself. A combination of flawed management information and poor communication with applicants and staff mean that G4S senior management had no idea how badly wrong their operation was going until it was too late to retrieve it. G4S continued to give false reassurances, based on poor-quality data, to LOCOG, the Home Office and other partners involved in the operation until a very late stage in the process. G4S should therefore forego its £57 million management fee, to send a strong signal to the British taxpayer, its biggest client in the UK, that it is serious about making good for its mistakes. G4S should also make ex gratia payments by way of apology to those applicants who successfully completed the training and accreditation process but were not scheduled for work because of their management's failings. The Committee also recommended that, for future major events, armed forces personnel should be considered as possible security providers from the outset, rather than just a backup, with appropriate recognition and reward for the personnel concerned. The Government should also maintain a central register of high-risk companies who have failed in the delivery of public services, to inform future procurement decisions

Within Central Government, preparations for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are being led by the Government Olympic Executive, which is part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The Excutive is responsible for co-ordinating the activities of a wide range of organisations, including the Olympic Delivery Authority, whichis responsible for the construction of venues and associated infrastructure. Whilst individual organisations have their own programme management arrangements, the Governmetn Olympic Executive has not hyet developed a plan for the programme as a whole, or finalised arrangements for identifying and managing risks across the programme. On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (HC 490, session 2007-08, ISBN 97801102954197) the Committee took evidence from DCMS and the Olympic Delivery Authority onthe progress made in preparing for the London 2012 Olympc and Paralympic Games