Can DafT deliver anything on time?

Are DafT undertakings worth the paper they are written on?

In the South Central Franchise consultation document Daft glibly asserts that:

In London, the Oyster smartcard is already accepted for season tickets, and from 2009 Oyster pay as you go (PAYG) will be valid on all national rail services in London.

Alas.

The delivery deficient department has now made it clear that this won't happen till 2010.

Provoking predictable fury from London's TravelWatch:

“Passengers at railway stations around the capital are walking past covered up, unused Oyster machines every day, and have been for months. The lack of an integrated system and any joined-up thinking is ridiculous in a modern city like London. Another delay is simply unacceptable, and it is time for the Department for Transport to hold the transport providers to account.”

To paraphrase Reginald Perrin: "Why don't you re-time all your announcements to arrive a year late? - then they will all be on time."