DSIT-led digital centre has ‘got a grip on governance from the very outset’, minister Kyle says


Secretary of state Peter Kyle tells PublicTechnology that moving the Government Digital Service out of the centre of government will not limit the unit’s ability to drive transformation throughout departments

Moving government’s core digital units from the Cabinet Office to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has not led to any loss of “grip” with agencies across Whitehall, the senior responsible minister has claimed.

As government’s central department, the Cabinet Office administers a range of standards and controls applied to other departments. This remit empowered subsidiary the Government Digital Service with greater ability to mandate measures to be rolled out across departments – and take remedial or enforcement action, where necessary.

At an event yesterday to formally launch the new DSIT-based digital centre of government – which is centred on an expanded and consolidated GDSPublicTechnology asked technology secretary of state Peter Kyle (picture on stage yesterday) whether, in its new location, the tech unit could still push through reforms throughout the Whitehall landcape.

“The answer is yes, but we’re doing it a different way,” Kyle said.  “So, in essence, what we’ve done is we’ve moved delivery functions into DSIT – which is now delivering the digital transformation from the digital centre of government. [Alongside that] we have created a new governance arrangement for digital services, called the interministerial group – and what I call the triangle: we have Pat McFadden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, speaking on behalf of the centre of government; we’ve got Darren Jones, chief secretary to the Treasury – so we have the voice of Treasury the; and then myself [on behalf of DSIT]. There are three senior cabinet ministers that are responsible for the governing and the performance management of what we’re doing. So, everything you see here has gone through the interministerial group.”

He added: “It is actually a really exciting group to be on, because there was such enthusiasm for the direction of travel. But it also has grip; you’ve got the centre of government, you’ve got the Treasury, and you’ve got DSIT.”


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Kyle told PublicTechnology that this “grip” had been exercised since straight after the election, when the new administration first announced plans to move GDS – as well as the Central Digital and Data Office and the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence – to its new home in DSIT.

“The first thing that we did in the first meeting way back in the summer was to put a moratorium on all major government spending projects on digital over a million pounds – [which] had to come into the group to be scrutinised before [they] could be authorised,” the secretary of state said. So, we’re making sure that future projects take into account the needs of digital transformation, the needs that the National Data Library is going to have in terms of interoperability – making sure that we’re not locked into very long contracts with tech firms, which make data inaccessible or hard to access and share.

“We’re getting a grip from the very outset on this, as we start to build the frameworks from which to move forward.”

Kyle also claimed that the relocated and expanded technology hub will have a greater ability to take the lead in shaping government’s work with suppliers.

He said: “The other really big thing that is possible because of the digital centre is that, because of the capacity and skills we have within it, we are now finding the experience of negotiating and discussing and engaging with big tech firms is far more fruitful and respectful – simply because we have a degree of skills in there, where we’re talking much more peer to peer. I think we’re going to deliver far more from the tech companies, simply because of that.”

 Another upside of the expanded GDS and the digital will be its appeal to potential joiners from the commercial world. This has already been demonstrated by a senior management figure from a leading artificial intelligence firm joining the new AI Safety Institute, according to Kyle.

“We’re having very senior people from the private sector who now see an [opportunity] in coming to the public sector and to public service,” he added. “I’m sure there will be inflows and outflows, which will be very, very healthy going forward.”

Sam Trendall

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