Three of central government’s key organisations for digital services are moving from the Cabinet Office to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
DSIT has announced the move, under which the Government Digital Service (GDS), Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) and Incubator for AI (i.AI) will now be under its wing.
The move was hinted at by the new Government’s secretary of state for DSIT, Peter Kyle, in a speech at London Tech Week shortly before the general election.
Announcing the change yesterday, DSIT said it will now be at the digital centre of government, working closely with the Cabinet Office and Treasury to maximise the potential of digital, data and technology.
It will support departments in using technology across areas such as healthcare, policing and education, and aim to upskill civil servants in using digital an dAI.
Centre for expertise
Kyle said: “Britain will not fully benefit from the social and economic potential of science and technology without government leading by example. So, DSIT is to become the centre for digital expertise and delivery in government, improving how the government and public services interact with citizens.
“We will act as a leader and partner across government, with industry and the research communities, to boost Britain’s economic performance and power up our public services to improve the lives and life chances of people through the application of science and technology.”
GDS, which develops digital and products and services for central government, has been within the Cabinet Office since its formation in 2011. Its functions were split into two in with the formation in 2021 of CDDO to take the lead on strategic and policy issues. i.AI was founded last year to develop AI projects for government.
DSIT was created early last year to take the lead on relevant issues. It has some responsibility for some areas, such as the development of a digital identities framework, that cross over with the work done by the bodies now moving within its family.
