Defra has not given enough attention to the impact of its poor digital services on its users. To users, legacy IT systems feel outdated or lack functionality and they are 6 Tackling Defra’s ageing digital services at higher risk of temporary crashes. Defra has recently upgraded its system that vets and farmers use to record bovine tuberculosis test results. Previously vets had to buy old laptops to be able to run the programme. Many legacy systems still rely heavily on paper forms or documents. Defra and its organisations handle around 14 million paper transactions each year. Defra intends to reduce its reliance on paper forms but is unable to say when this will happen. Despite the advantages of digital forms, there are barriers to increasing the use of digital-based applications and processes which Defra does not yet fully understand. For example, some customers prefer paper-based licenses, and Defra is working to understand and address the barriers to more of its customers using digital solutions. Defra does not measure the costs to its customers of its unmodernised digital services but is now attempting to include these in business cases for specific changes. Recommendation 3: In its Treasury Minute response, Defra should set out how it will identify the problems and costs faced by its service users as a result of unmodernised services, and how it is going to address each of them.