Recommendation 3

We are concerned that government has not built the digital capability or senior digital leadership it needs to achieve change and bring fraud savings from data analytics. Digital transformation will require strong leadership. The government accepted the previous Committee’s September 2023 recommendation that all departments should have a non-executive director with relevant digital, data and technology transformation expertise on their Boards. While DSIT assured us that this is now the case at several key departments, this ambition has not yet been achieved across government. GDS intends for at least 10% of the civil service to be digital, data and cyber professionals, but in April 2025 only 5.5% of the civil service met this criteria, and GDS is concerned that civil service pay rates make it difficult to retain digital leaders and achieve the upskilling it needs. We were also disappointed to hear that DSIT is not proceeding with the appointment of a permanent secretary-level Government Chief Digital Officer. It is instead choosing a structure where two directors-general will report into the DSIT permanent secretary, with responsibility for supporting digital transformation across government and the digital products GDS builds and runs. We believe this is a shortcoming, and that a Chief Digital Officer of appropriate seniority would give DSIT much greater clout across the whole of government to make the massive digital transformation that is necessary. recommendation a. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology should mandate that there are digitally skilled leaders at board level in all government departments, and all ALBs where technology plays a key part in their ations. It should also mandate the appointment of senior digital specialists in each department and ALB. 4 b. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology should appoint a highly skilled Government Chief Digital Officer, at permanent secretary level, with the necessary authority and