Think tank calls for an Office of IT

Only a new department can overcome Whitehall silos, says the Adam Smith Institute

Whitehall needs an Office of IT headed by a Cabinet minister to make the most of technology’s potential to reshape the way government does business, says a leading think tank.

Independent policy group the Adam Smith Institute says that only a new department with real power can overcome the government’s silo culture.

‘We are proposing an Office of IT with a brief extending into every department and an overall stake in government processes, so it is in a position to influence what departments do rather than just sending out recommendations,’ Institute president Dr Madsen Pirie told Computing.