The UK’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has recently clarified its operating system upgrade timeline, confirming that its substantial £312 million investment in refreshing Windows 10 laptops was indeed followed by an upgrade to Windows 11. This revelation comes after an earlier communication to Parliament inaccurately represented the department’s IT modernization efforts.
Clarification on IT Upgrades
In October, Defra submitted a letter to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), detailing its initiative to phase out 31,500 outdated Windows 7 laptops in favor of Windows 10. This move was part of a broader response to calls for the department to modernize its IT infrastructure. However, as reported by The Register, this letter arrived significantly past its May 2024 deadline, raising eyebrows about the timing of such a critical upgrade just as Microsoft approached the end of support for Windows 10.
Defra quickly addressed the situation, labeling certain aspects of the reporting as “inaccuracies.” Yet, these so-called inaccuracies were rooted in the department’s own communications to MPs, as confirmed by Edward Sheridan, a spokesperson for the PAC. “Defra has confirmed… that the referenced letter to the PAC contains a factual inaccuracy,” he stated.
Nearly two months later, a revised letter was published, which we can only hope underwent a more rigorous proofreading process. This updated correspondence not only reiterated the replacement of the 31,500 aging Windows 7 machines with Windows 10 devices but also disclosed that the entire laptop fleet was transitioned to Windows 11 prior to the impending support deadline for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025.
In his letter, Paul Kissack, Defra’s permanent secretary, stated, “I am writing to provide an updated version of the previous letter sent by Defra on 10 October 2025. This is to clarify that following the Windows 10 upgrade, Defra moved to Windows 11 in order to keep our systems up to date and secure.” He further noted that “all laptops were upgraded to Windows 11 by March 2025.”
This clarification suggests that any ongoing migration efforts for Windows 11 may now pertain to desktops and other endpoints not included in the laptop refresh. However, Defra did not respond to inquiries from The Register regarding the size of its active PC estate, potential costs for additional endpoint purchases, the procurement of extended security updates from Microsoft, or whether any discounts or multi-year licensing agreements were part of the upgrade deal.
Ultimately, it appears that Defra’s PC fleet received a timely operating system upgrade, despite the initial miscommunication that accompanied its announcement to Parliament.
