[MargaretR]

Originally Posted by West Ender

It's a bad situation but I'm not in the least bit surprised. Having, up to last month, worked for the organisation for so long I have been appalled, in the last few years, at the way it has gone downhill, mainly due to the tremendous staff cutting that has gone on. The Government decided that HMRC could function just as well with 1/2 the workforce and it's as crazy as expecting a football team to win every match with only 5 players.

I keep thinking of the words chickens, home, come, to and roost - not necessarily in that order.

I agree entirely West Ender.

Ever since new technology was introduced in the civil service depts, governments have overestimated staff savings that technology would enable.
The quality of recruits in the lowest ranks (one of whom has done this) was bound to reduce when they are nothing more than button pushers paid low wages, and their managers are busy implementing changes which are politically motivated and not operationally thought through.

You can't expect a blue ribbon service from a brown string operation.