Recommendation 13

As confirmed in January 2025’s Blueprint for modern digital government policy paper, cross-government digital leadership now resides with DSIT.32 The blueprint included a plan to raise the status of the Government Chief Digital Officer to second permanent secretary-level. DSIT told us that it has now replaced the Government Chief Digital Officer, who was responsible for all the digital work within the GDS, with two new directors general posts. One of these is the director-general for digital products who is responsible for the various products that GDS builds and runs itself; the other is the director-general for digital transformation who is responsible for the architecture that supports other government departments to deliver their digital programmes (including progressing the digital profession, improving data and promoting the use of AI).33 Neither role of director-general for digital transformation or director-general for digital products has been filled permanently, although interim appointments were made to both posts in January 2026.34 28 Committee of Public Accounts, Government services: identifying costs, Fifty-Eighth report of session 2024–26. HC 1421, 12 December 2025, Conclusion 5 29 Qq 45-46 30 Qq 33 and 45-46 31 Q 46 32 DSIT, A blueprint for modern digital government, CP 1252, January 2025 33 Q 86 34 Emily Middleton has been appointed as interim DG for digital and Christine Bellamy has been appointed as interim DG for digital products 13 Sharing data effectively across government