I have often wondered whether Whitehall mandarins have a filing cabinet marked ‘initiatives we tried before' which they produce whenever a new minister arrives in their department.

In most organisations this is known as corporate memory. In government not having some idea of ‘what worked' or ‘didn't work previously' is a major handicap causing inefficiency and repeated failures. After six years of civil service cuts with 20% less staff Whitehall is even more exposed to losing its memory as experienced old hands retire.