It looks like bad news from Government Connects but actually it's not. The story could be that, once again, a public sector IT programme has ended up half-cancelled halfway through.

But the fact that Government Connects has halted its development of a secure authentication system for citizens, and will be using the existing Government Gateway instead, is no such story.

Why spend time, money and effort building a new system when one already exists? No reason at all. So the decision to go with Gateway should be applauded.

The only slight cloud is this otherwise sunny sky is: why has the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) only just discovered that Gateway exists?

DCLG says its development was always an interim measure to cover the gap between the Connects timetable and the speed Gateway could be made compatible with its needs. That timetable has now shifted, says the department, so interim measures are no longer needed.

It sounds plausible enough. Except it seems that the interim period was only ever going to be from March to July - and five months is hardly long enough to justify an entirely separate development.

Still, let's not be too harsh on DCLG. Better late than never.

It will be interesting to see whether the new, upgraded PSX(e) ministerial committee will avoid such overlaps in the future.