One of the biggest problems with UK government IT is quite simply the old adage "Pay peanuts, get monkeys". IT staff are paid well below industry rates resulting in higher turnover and good staff moving to industry leaving the less able and the career civil servants to wrap everything in red tape.

Managers are told not to be hands on, so low grade managers' technical skills lag behind and they don't understand what their staff are doing, yet there are so many tiers of management they have little to do, No wonder projects fail.

Civil service IT is comfortable but undemanding and I'm looking forward to returning to industry once my children finish school.