After reading the article it really seems like the quote was taken out of context. As it stands its incredibly vague, the person quoted could be talking about anything. Without more specifics and some context I'd call this a simple attempt to grab attention by the author.

It could well be that such approaches weren't available to his department until recently. Cultural shifts lag technical ones.

The discussion in question starts at 17:03 here: http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=1442...

His response is certainly taken out of context, but he doesn't cover himself in IT glory.