Officially Speaking

Data-driven government.
Until somebody asks for the data.

Officially Speaking was written after yet another run of parliamentary answers where ministers insisted they simply didn’t hold the information being requested. Britain can apparently tell you everything about your tax return, your benefits, your driving licence and the exact date your wheelie bin should be outside. Ask how much a policy costs, who benefits from it or how many people it affects, however, and Whitehall suddenly discovers a remarkable enthusiasm for the phrase “not held centrally.” It’s a song about the strange point where transparency becomes remarkably opaque, and evidence-led government develops a very convenient memory problem.