News

With the end of 2015 in sight, we asked Whitehall's top officials to review the year, set out their priorities for 2016 – and shed some light on their festive plans. Una O’Brien, permanent secretary at the Department of Health, takes part in our biggest-ever perm secs round-up series...

Pressure on Care Quality Commission resources is showing through report errors, say MPs, as CQC chief David Behan (pictured) says regulator has been "working hard to improve"

DWP says it will meet the cost of redundancies stemming from decision not to move Housing Benefit staff into the department when benefits are merged

With the end of 2015 in sight, we asked Whitehall's top officials to review the year, set out their priorities for 2016 – and shed some light on their festive plans. Sir Simon McDonald, permanent secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, takes part in our biggest-ever perm secs round-up series...

With the end of 2015 in sight, we asked Whitehall's top officials to review the year, set out their priorities for 2016 – and shed some light on their festive plans. John Pullinger, UK National Statistician and head of the Government Statistical Service, takes part in our biggest-ever perm secs round-up series...

With the end of 2015 in sight, we asked Whitehall's top officials to review the year, set out their priorities for 2016 – and shed some light on their festive plans. Sally Collier, chief executive of the Crown Commercial Service, takes part in our biggest-ever perm secs round-up series...

After a scathing report on problems with the digital overhaul of the system for paying EU subsidies, spending watchdogs Meg Hillier and Amyas Morse criticise behaviour that was "distressing to staff and visibly confrontational"

Liam Maxwell announces that DVLA's chief technology officer is heading back to the centre of government in January

Furious online reaction to Spending Review blog prompts response by cabinet secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood and civil service chief executive John Manzoni – with the pair emphasising areas where civil service is more flexible than the private sector

With the end of 2015 in sight, we asked Whitehall's top officials to review the year, set out their priorities for 2016 – and shed some light on their festive plans. Robert Devereux, permanent secretary of the Department for Work and Pensions, takes part in our biggest ever perm secs round-up series...

With the end of 2015 in sight, we asked Whitehall's top officials to review the year, set out their priorities for 2016 – and shed some light on their festive plans. Alex Aiken, executive director of government communications, kicks off our perm secs round-up series...

Vince Cable, Chris Huhne, Andrew Mitchell, Caroline Spelman and more provide the Institute for Government with their views on their officials, the Whitehall machine, and dealing with the centre of government

Civil service's anti-whistleblower culture is changing, says chief executive John Manzoni, as he promises new data on concerns raised by staff – and faces tough questioning from MPs on extending public interest protections to private providers

Cabinet secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood pays tribute to the prime minister’s late principal private secretary Chris Martin, a remarkable official who embodied the enduring values of the civil service he loved

Welsh first minister says there is “no real machinery for a regular heads of government meeting” – as Silk Commission chair reveals he considered calling for separate civil service.

Civil service chief executive John Manzoni says government "making good" on promise to open up public sector procurement to smaller firms

Whitehall's former digital chief to offer advice to governments around the world

In the latest Ministry of Justice U-turn, the justice secretary reverses another of his predecessor Chris Grayling's policies

National Audit Office says project likely to be finished eight years later than originally thought

Report by former deputy governor of the Bank of England says 90% of ONS staff were “unwilling to move” out of London, leading to a “loss of knowledge and experience”

National Audit Office survey finds concern among government's digital leaders over their ability to recruit and retain staff – but there's support for many Cabinet Office intiatives to sharpen tech skills

The Spending Review has left departments with little option but to transform their operations, says the Centre for Public Impact's Adrian Brown – the question now is how that happens

Amid reports chancellor looking to cut voluntary civil service redundancy payouts by a further six months – a move first floated in 2010 – unions warn of "war by the government against its own staff"

Strongly-worded report by the National Audit Office public spending watchdog finds cost estimates rose by 40% — but Defra defends handling of the “most complex ever” EU rural payments scheme