The identity of the UK's eighth identity provider has now been provided, reluctantly

The acknowledged problems with public administration in the UK are to be solved, it is proposed, by making public services digital by default, which requires us all to have electronic identities (eIDs). These are to be provided by eight so-called "identity providers" of whom only seven were previously announced, please see Identity assurance – one under the eight.

The eighth identity provider is PayPal.

How do we know that?

Did the Government Digital Service (GDS) make an announcement? No.

Did the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) make an announcement? Not really. DWP posted a notice on the Contracts Finder service of businesslink.gov.uk, a website which GDS say no longer exists – it's supposed to have been replaced by their GOV.UK.

So how?

Answer:

DWP publishes details of eight IDPs for ID Assurance services, including Paypal contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/Common/View%20… — OIX UK (@OIXUK) January 16, 2013

This is not an open way to deal with the public.

Check the Contracts Finder link in the Tweet above and you'll find that PayPal have been on the ID assurance list of suppliers for months. Why the delay in making an announcement? Who was reluctant? Why?

Hundreds of millions of pounds are scheduled to be wasted on the failure of GDS's identity assurance programme. The appointment of a national identity provider is an important matter. Why is its announcement buried on Twitter?

And what is the rôle of OIX in the UK's new Constitution?