This is about change in the world of government technology. Just before Easter I used the new online Lasting Power of Attorney service. In the circumstances I was dealing with, there was a problem with the technology. I had to phone the help line twice, on different days, to sort it out. Got a bit frustrated.

The day following my vexations I woke (calmer) reflecting on what happened and, in particular, on my second call to the helpline. When I raised the issue, Steve - the chap I spoke with - ran a test. He followed the same path through the system that I did and concluded there was a problem. (This met by muted triumphalism from me.) Steve resolved my issue, explained what I needed to do and - in promising to get the problem fixed - said, “I'll talk to our developers about it".

And this was the thing: this wasn't the experience of government services I'm used to. Steve had the means to test my problem himself; the technical skill to diagnose it correctly; the human skill to cope with my scratchiness; and personal access to the actual people who developed the technology. I reckon there's a decent chance this problem will get fixed.

Things didn't work perfectly, but it seems they have begun to change.