I can't decide what to make of Directgov's move from the Cabinet Office to COI, as announced this morning. It seems odd to give control of the state's flagship e-government project to an arms-length body; and in strict terms of ministerial responsibility, it could be seen as downgrading the project's importance, with COI's Chief Executive being 'line managed' by the Minister for the Cabinet Office.
At the risk of oversimplifying, COI's main role is as government's middleman in the world of communication. They do a lot on behalf of other government departments, but haven't done a lot off their own bat. Taking ownership of Directgov is a big step in that regard. But on the other hand, if someone came to you for a job interview, having worked for all the big names in the field at various points in the past five to ten years, they would make an ideal candidate.
Perhaps COI's greatest asset here is who they aren't, rather than who they are. I wrote before about Directgov as a clean slate; this is probably just a further step down that same road.