Departments typically do not have a good understanding of their IT estate, legacy systems are often poorly understood because of their age, and replacing these systems 10 Q 7 11 Dr Jerry Fishenden, Professor Mark Thompson and Assistant Professor Will Venters submission page 2 12 Qq 13–14 13 Qq 27, 7 14 Chair opening statement 15 Q 1 16 C&AG’s Report, para 2.15 17 Committee of Public Accounts, Digital Services at the Border, Forty-Eighth Report of Session 2019–21, HC 936, 12 March 2021; Committee of Public Accounts, e-Borders and successor programmes, Twenty-seventh Report of Session 2015–16, HC 643, 4 March 2016; Committee of Public Accounts, The National Law Enforcement Data Programme, Twenty-Ninth Report of Session 2021–22, HC 638, 8 December 2021 18 Q 1 19 C&AG’s Report, para 2.17 20 C&AG’s Report, paras 2.25–2.16 21 Q 39 22 Q 40 23 C&AG’s Report, para 8h 10 Challenges in implementing digital change carries risk.24 We asked the Cabinet Office if anyone has a clear picture as to what major legacy systems exist across government. The Cabinet Office told us that it has recently started to try and build-up this overall picture and that departments are getting more detailed in their understanding. However, it acknowledged there is not yet a clear on- going process for assessing and understanding cross-government legacy risk. The Cabinet Office is piloting a simple, risk-based model with three departments that it hopes will provide this dynamic view of legacy IT across government and enable conversations about funding with HM Treasury. This process is due be rolled out more widely in 2022.25 Missed opportunities for transformation