Digital centre of government

Science, Innovation and Technology Committee Open Inquiry
Opened: 3 Feb 2025 Parliament page
Following the general election, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) announced plans to become the “digital centre of government”. It was also confirmed that the Government Digital Service, Central Digital and Data Office and Incubator for Artificial Intelligence would move from the Cabinet Office into DSIT, to “unite … Read more
30 Recommendations
25 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Letter
Activity timeline 2 events
3 Jun
2026
Report published
12 Mar
2025
Correspondence
Title HC No. Published Items Response
1st Report - Rewiring the state: Delivering digital government HC 61 3 Jun 2026 55 No response document linked
Recommendations & Conclusions
55 results
1 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
Inadequate data on digital spend prevents the government from making informed decisions regarding policy interventions,...
Inadequate data on digital spend prevents the government from making informed decisions regarding policy interventions, and prevents those responsible from being properly held to account. (Conclusion, Paragraph 15)
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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2 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
GDS should require all departments and public bodies to disclose their annual spending on digital...
GDS should require all departments and public bodies to disclose their annual spending on digital and data-driven activities, using guidance developed jointly with HM Treasury and with input from the National Audit Office. In its response to this report, the … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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3 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
Delivering successful digital transformation will require a new approach to digital and technology spend, underpinned...
Delivering successful digital transformation will require a new approach to digital and technology spend, underpinned by clear standards, approval processes, and lines of accountability. The current approach to funding, whereby it is easier to secure capital funding than resource, public … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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4 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
By the end of the current Spending Review period a meaningfully higher percentage of digital...
By the end of the current Spending Review period a meaningfully higher percentage of digital and technology spend should come from departmental resource budgets, as opposed to capital budgets, in order to better reflect the reality of modern public service … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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5 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
The new Government Digital Service (GDS) should develop and publish a comprehensive framework to evaluate...
The new Government Digital Service (GDS) should develop and publish a comprehensive framework to evaluate the performance of digital spend, to include a set of metrics against which leaders of departments and public bodies can be held to account. The … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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6 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
The public sector needs more of the right people to deliver the government’s ambitions for...
The public sector needs more of the right people to deliver the government’s ambitions for the digital transformation of the state. There are 100,000 digital and data professionals but not enough are in leadership roles, which are too often filled … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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7 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
GDS should publish the succession plans for all digital and data director and director general...
GDS should publish the succession plans for all digital and data director and director general roles in central government, and develop and publish similar plans for the digital and data aspects of all permanent secretaries’ roles. The government should consider … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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8 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
The cross-government digital workforce strategy should include detailed targets for departments and public bodies to...
The cross-government digital workforce strategy should include detailed targets for departments and public bodies to meet by the end of the current Spending Review period, including: the publication of departmental plans to reduce the proportion of total workforce and cost … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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9 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
It is a fundamental duty of government, public sector bodies and bodies in receipt of...
It is a fundamental duty of government, public sector bodies and bodies in receipt of public funds to keep safe the data they hold on citizens. This duty has not been consistently upheld in the UK for some time. An … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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10 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
Successive governments have made a series of promises designed to address the institutional failings outlined...
Successive governments have made a series of promises designed to address the institutional failings outlined in the Information Security Review. Yet we remain concerned that the current government is not holding itself to, or delivering, the standards of information and … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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11 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
The advertisement of UK Biobank datasets on a Chinese e-commerce platform points to a particularly...
The advertisement of UK Biobank datasets on a Chinese e-commerce platform points to a particularly egregious example of inadequate data hygiene. The seriousness of the breach was compounded by a response that showed a lack of appreciation of the trust … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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12 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
UK Biobank is in receipt of public funds, and so the government should help it...
UK Biobank is in receipt of public funds, and so the government should help it to ensure that failings are addressed as a matter of urgency. This incident underlines that contractual arrangements to protect citizens’ data must also be accompanied … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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13 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
GDS and the Cabinet Office should publish quarterly reports on departmental and public sector body...
GDS and the Cabinet Office should publish quarterly reports on departmental and public sector body progress against the information and data security metrics it has committed to, together with its published principles for securing data in public services. These disclosures … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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14 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
In its response to this report, the government should set out how it intends to...
In its response to this report, the government should set out how it intends to measure departmental and public body efforts to bring about difficult but necessary cultural changes in relation to data protection. It should name the departments and … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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15 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
The findings of the internal review examining events at the UK Biobank should be published...
The findings of the internal review examining events at the UK Biobank should be published in full. In its response to this report the government and UKRI should set out the technical protections that will be put in place at … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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16 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
In its response to this report the government should confirm how many times the Digital...
In its response to this report the government should confirm how many times the Digital Inter-Ministerial Group has met since publication of the blueprint for modern digital government; and should publish the minutes, including attendance, from each of these meetings. … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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17 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
The roadmap for modern digital government lacks overarching metrics by which the success or failure...
The roadmap for modern digital government lacks overarching metrics by which the success or failure of delivery of the vision set out in the blueprint could be assessed. The decision to publish it as a website, rather than a command … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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18 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
The operational delays caused by the July 2024 machinery of government change, combined with shifting...
The operational delays caused by the July 2024 machinery of government change, combined with shifting priorities, has hamstrung delivery of the vision set out in the blueprint. Unlike DSIT, the Cabinet Office is a coordinating department with the ability to … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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19 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
The government should commission an urgent review of the new GDS, to report no later...
The government should commission an urgent review of the new GDS, to report no later than the September sitting of Parliament. The review should examine how GDS can set policies, coordinate effectively, and hold individual departments and public bodies to … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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20 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
The Prime Minister should appoint a cabinet-level minister responsible for driving effective digital transformation across...
The Prime Minister should appoint a cabinet-level minister responsible for driving effective digital transformation across the public sector and supporting other ministers in this work. A permanent secretary-level Government Chief Digital Officer and head of GDS should be appointed to … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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21 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
The government is right to highlight the potential for technology to support better public service...
The government is right to highlight the potential for technology to support better public service delivery. But its estimate that the digitisation of public services could deliver an annual saving of £45 billion is worryingly optimistic. While assumptions are an … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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22 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
The new digital centre (GDS) should commission an independent economic analysis for each of the...
The new digital centre (GDS) should commission an independent economic analysis for each of the planned activities set out in the roadmap for modern digital government, giving a range of possible financial and economic outcomes for each commitment. (Recommendation, Paragraph … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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23 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
Legacy systems present huge efficiency, cost and security risks, and it is therefore deeply concerning...
Legacy systems present huge efficiency, cost and security risks, and it is therefore deeply concerning that government still does not know the full scale of the problem. While it may be difficult for ministers to argue in favour of spending … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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24 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
GDS should set up a Legacy Systems Taskforce with a remit to drive progress in...
GDS should set up a Legacy Systems Taskforce with a remit to drive progress in remediating legacy systems across the public sector. It should be empowered to mandate action by departments and public sector bodies 53 where necessary. The taskforce … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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25 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
We welcome GDS’s commitment to work with HM Treasury to ringfence funding to address legacy...
We welcome GDS’s commitment to work with HM Treasury to ringfence funding to address legacy systems, particularly given the significant costs that remediation will create for departments and public bodies that are already under financial pressure. In its response to … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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26 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
In its response to this report the government should set out how it intends to...
In its response to this report the government should set out how it intends to ensure that the public sector makes better use of the services provided by Crown Hosting. (Recommendation, Paragraph 81) Barrier three: Vendor lock-in
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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27 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
Of the small number of technology providers that the UK public sector relies upon, Palantir...
Of the small number of technology providers that the UK public sector relies upon, Palantir concerns us most. In the United States it has supplied software for that country’s military and immigration services, supporting highly controversial policies and activities. Its … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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28 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
Our view that Palantir’s increasing presence across the public sector represents an unacceptable point of...
Our view that Palantir’s increasing presence across the public sector represents an unacceptable point of weakness is not ideologically motivated or driven by concerns about the quality of their products. The government should retain the ability to pick and choose … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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29 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
The government should commit to exercising the February 2027 break clause in the Federated Data...
The government should commit to exercising the February 2027 break clause in the Federated Data Platform contract and either develop an in-house replacement or seek an alternative developed by UK-owned and UK-based providers that are more compatible with UK values, … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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30 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
In its response to this report the government should confirm the exact nature of Palantir’s...
In its response to this report the government should confirm the exact nature of Palantir’s access to identifiable and non-identifiable patient data, on what statutory basis this was authorised, when, and by whom; and whether the Information Commissioner was consulted. … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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31 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
The government should commit to wherever possible using UK-owned and UK-based suppliers to develop and...
The government should commit to wherever possible using UK-owned and UK-based suppliers to develop and implement the NHS Single Patient Record, and to awarding all associated contracts via open and transparent procurement processes. (Recommendation, Paragraph 97) Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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32 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
In its response to this report the government should set out the reasons for awarding...
In its response to this report the government should set out the reasons for awarding a £240 million Ministry of Defence contract to Palantir without a competitive tender process. (Recommendation, Paragraph 98)
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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33 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
The best way for government to encourage innovation is by procuring it.
The best way for government to encourage innovation is by procuring it. The government should therefore require central departments and public bodies to spend a defined minimum percentage of their technology procurement budgets on products offered by UK-based and UK-owned … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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34 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
We believe that vendor lock-in should not be viewed as inevitable, and that dependence on...
We believe that vendor lock-in should not be viewed as inevitable, and that dependence on a small number of suppliers does not automatically lead to better delivery of public services or better use of public money. (Conclusion, Paragraph 106)
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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35 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
GDS should produce a strategy to end vendor lock-in across the public sector, which includes...
GDS should produce a strategy to end vendor lock-in across the public sector, which includes targets for the diversification of suppliers across government departments and public bodies, progress against which is published on a quarterly basis. (Recommendation, Paragraph 107) Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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36 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
The public sector’s dependence on AWS and Microsoft’s cloud products undermines fair competition, fails to...
The public sector’s dependence on AWS and Microsoft’s cloud products undermines fair competition, fails to deliver value for money, can prevent domestic alternatives from scaling and—when outages occur—exposes a lack of resilience. The government is rightly seeking to coordinate cloud … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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37 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
The promised cloud consumption dashboard should include not only a breakdown of contract awards by...
The promised cloud consumption dashboard should include not only a breakdown of contract awards by company but their value, details of any break clauses, specific licensing terms and a value for money assessment. The government should require public bodies to … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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38 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
The government should publish the findings of its investigation into the October 2025 AWS outage...
The government should publish the findings of its investigation into the October 2025 AWS outage and its impact on suppliers and departments. In its response to this report, it should detail the steps it is taking to ensure greater resilience … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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39 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
In its response to this report the government should detail how the ‘All of Government’...
In its response to this report the government should detail how the ‘All of Government’ cloud contract will prevent vendor lock-in. It should set out the engagement it has had with the Competition and Markets Authority on the development of … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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40 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
Sovereignty means different things to different people, including within government.
Sovereignty means different things to different people, including within government. Ultimately it comes down to choice, and having the ability to make choices rather than being dependent on individual providers is particularly important when it comes to technology. Leverage as … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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41 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
Setting a cross-public sector definition of sovereignty and agreeing a strategy that is clear about...
Setting a cross-public sector definition of sovereignty and agreeing a strategy that is clear about the sectors and services where sovereign capability matters most, is a prerequisite for the effective use of technology by government departments and public bodies. We … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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42 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
In its response to this report the government should set out its definition of technology...
In its response to this report the government should set out its definition of technology sovereignty and confirm whether a list of key capabilities or technologies where the government considers that the UK needs sovereign capability exists, whether this will … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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43 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
The UK’s reliance on a small number of US-based providers for digital infrastructure and public...
The UK’s reliance on a small number of US-based providers for digital infrastructure and public service delivery is a strategic and economic vulnerability. The government’s digital transformation ambitions could be derailed at any time by a decision taken outside our … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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44 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
Building sovereign alternatives to US tech providers will require targeted support for start-ups in strategic...
Building sovereign alternatives to US tech providers will require targeted support for start-ups in strategic sectors; a robust approach to competition policy that does not shy away from confrontation with incumbent firms but instead supports the development of a diverse … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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45 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
The government should use its promised update to the Procurement Act 2023 to require public...
The government should use its promised update to the Procurement Act 2023 to require public sector bodies to prioritise open-source tools and technology over proprietary offerings, to support innovative alternatives to incumbent suppliers and reduce the risk of vendor lock-in. … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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46 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
The government should publish a technology sovereignty strategy that sets out how it intends to...
The government should publish a technology sovereignty strategy that sets out how it intends to support the development of sovereign alternatives to incumbent providers across the public sector. Informed by the cross-government definition and list of required sovereign capabilities recommended … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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47 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
The government should in its response to this report set out what contingencies it has...
The government should in its response to this report set out what contingencies it has in place to safeguard citizens’ data should the United States trigger data access provisions in the CLOUD Act 2018, and share any impact assessments that … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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48 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
As part of the government’s wider reset in its relations with the European Union, and...
As part of the government’s wider reset in its relations with the European Union, and its technology sovereignty strategy, DSIT should establish a unit dedicated to monitoring and disseminating digital government best practice from across the EU, with a remit … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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49 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
While technology can help improve people’s experience of public services, and activities such as banking...
While technology can help improve people’s experience of public services, and activities such as banking are increasingly done online, the difference between interactions with the state and a bank is that citizens have a choice 57 about which bank to … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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50 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
It would be irresponsible to roll out a digital ID built on the UK’s current...
It would be irresponsible to roll out a digital ID built on the UK’s current digital infrastructure. The public sector holds citizens’ data on trust, and should therefore hold itself to a higher standard. The operational and security problems relating … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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51 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
The digital ID will be a significant test of the government’s wider digital transformation ambitions:...
The digital ID will be a significant test of the government’s wider digital transformation ambitions: if it does not succeed, or results in a worse experience for citizens when they interact with government, there will be far-reaching political consequences. Citizens’ … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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52 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
Uncertainty over the eventual cost of the digital ID scheme make it impossible to take...
Uncertainty over the eventual cost of the digital ID scheme make it impossible to take an informed view on whether it will prove a worthwhile undertaking, even if the operational and security challenges examined in this report were to be … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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53 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
The announcement of the government’s final decision on digital ID should be accompanied by full...
The announcement of the government’s final decision on digital ID should be accompanied by full costings and a full impact assessment, as well as details of controls to ensure the scheme, if it is taken forward, does not exceed its … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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54 Recommendation
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
If external suppliers are deemed necessary to support the development or implementation of the new...
If external suppliers are deemed necessary to support the development or implementation of the new digital ID, no contracts relating to the development or implementation of the new digital ID should be awarded without a competitive tender process, and all … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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55 Conclusion
1st Report - Rewiring the state: D…
If the government decides to proceed with the new digital ID, Parliament should be given...
If the government decides to proceed with the new digital ID, Parliament should be given an opportunity to vote on each use case before it is added and given full access to the government’s internal impact and cost assessments to … Read more
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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Correspondence 1 letter
12 Mar 2025 Correspondence from Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, in relation to the Digital centre for government, dated 3 March 2025
Parliament page