Well it's ok to blame and sod off a civil servant, or a 'mutant algorithm.' (Bloody good name for a band you must admit.)
An algorithm is a 'knitting pattern' for a computer, or a series of instructions for an MFI flatpack. I don't mean this in any sort of insulting way, computers, whether you like it or not, pretty much facilitate or even run much of the world's systems today.
But more and more (and there's the smell of Cummings behind some of this) I can't help but think this government has a secret stack of old MFI flatpack algorithms suitably converted into assembler code and inserted into government departments by... shall we say bald headed creepy tw@ts.
I guess going down with the ship, or falling on your sword has gone out of fashion providing you can scurry under the nearest rock.