Moment of truth for government IT

Haste and technology can be a catastrophic combination

With the exception of the occasional thunderclap from the NHS National Programme, the past couple of years may have been the calm before the storm for government technology.

There have obviously been problems, and not just in the health service ≠ the Rural Payments Agency, for example, or Jobcentre Plus. But it has been some time since the heyday of the public sector IT disaster.

Much has changed. The Office of Government Commerce has established the Gateway system to monitor mission-critical programmes at key stages of delivery.

The Office of the e-Envoy has been replaced by the eGovernment Unit and an array of Whitehall firsts - first chief information officer, first comprehensive IT strategy, first CIO Council.

The fundamental importance of technology to all policy decisions has filtered through to the highest levels of government, and is on the agenda of the very top civil servants.

With the electronic borders programme and the identity card scheme about to start, we are about to see whether or not all this activity has made any difference.

eBorders will cost much more than originally anticipated, but this is by no means a sign of impending disaster. The whole point of a pilot scheme is to determine exactly what will be involved.

But there is nothing like a growing bill to attract taxpayers' attention.

Similarly, the accusations of confusion and internecine struggle over ID cards, whether justified or not, are only the smallest foretaste of what is likely to come.

Sir James Crosby is expected call for the swift rollout of ID cards has much to recommend it. But it is also dangerous. Haste and technology can be a catastrophic combination, and the timetable is already under considerable stress.

Both schemes are on a scale rarely matched, even in the public sector. And their sensitivity is second only to the health service.

In the past few years there has been much talk of lessons learned. Let us hope it was more than hot air.