←back to thread

Solving `Passport Application` with Haskell

(jameshaydon.github.io)
306 points jameshh | 2 comments | 28 Jun 25 23:01 UTC | HN request time: 0.635s | source
Show context
EngineeringStuf ◴[29 Jun 25 06:14 UTC] No.44410698[source]▶
I've worked on a variety of large UK government systems for the past ten years.

This blog encapsulates the problem of writing government services/software, which often results in strange outcomes.

Writing software for government is essentially the codification of centuries worth of Acts of Parliament.

Now imagine building the HMPO passport system, and then some underlying Law/Act is changed or repealed etc.

Now someone has to find and change everything that the Law/Act affected in all systems.

Now consider that the government frequently outsources this work to expensive consultancies who are motivated to elongate contracts and extract maximum value from the client... And ideally become entrenched.

All whilst building systems of varying quality and inflexibility so that the next time that a Law/Act is changed then this whole process repeats.

There is no central decision making authority to wrangle this problem (there used to be Spend Controls), which is why Government services delivery is so expensive.

replies(5): >>44411480 #>>44411742 #>>44413409 #>>44413834 #>>44430103 #
1. theptip ◴[29 Jun 25 15:22 UTC] No.44413834[source]▶
Is there an opportunity for reusable OSS rule systems? It seems that every government at every level could use an expressive system for defining and versioning them.

I suspect part of the gap here is, as you note, everything technical is outsourced and so there is not enough institutional capacity to envision and execute what would be a quite revolutionary re-architecture.

I find it extremely frustrating that the government is able to spend tens of millions on contractors for an IT project, but can’t pay market rate for in-house engineers, even if those would be cheaper in the long run.

replies(1): >>44420210 #
2. EngineeringStuf ◴[30 Jun 25 06:45 UTC] No.44420210[source]▶
Yes, absolutely. Although that would require care and forethought regarding unintended consequences.

Most roads will lead back to consultancies stepping-in because the government org will likely lack the skills. And it's very easy for a consultancy to claim they're experts, but throw an army of graduates at it.

Interoperability between rules based systems (and legacy) software need to be considered too. It's a massive problem that will grow with time... Most government departments have some form of every generation of technology.