News

On February 21, a seminar was held in the Foreign Office to mark the publication of a book by the head of the FCO Historical Section, Gill Bennett, called ‘Six Moments of Crisis’. The book discusses six major foreign policy decisions taken since the Second World War. These were the decision to send British troops to Korea in 1950; the Suez invasion; the first application to join the European Economic Community; the withdrawal of British forces from East of Suez; the expulsion of 109 Soviet diplomats; and the sending of the Task Force to recover the Falklands.

Janet Williams is a personal adviser in the Department for Work and Pensions, and winner of the Head of the Civil Service's Award. CSW spoke with her to find out why she won.

A nurse caring for patients in the community warns that fast-growing workloads are ratcheting up the pressure on her hard-pressed team. Winnie Agbonlahor reports.

The number of people volunteering in England has increased remarkably. The new Community Life Survey shows 30 per cent volunteered at least once a month in 2012, compared to 25 per cent in 2010-11. As well as this ‘formal’ volunteering (ie, with a group, club or organisation), 35 per cent were involved in ‘informal’ volunteering (ie, as an individual) at least once a month, compared to 29 per cent the previous year.

The business department’s permanent secretary Martin Donnelly tells Suzannah Brecknell how his department is working to bring businesses and government together, creating strategies designed to kick start Britain's economic growth

The practice of allowing ministers and officials to see government statistics before publication presents “ a risk to public confidence in the independence of the statistical system” and government should “bring forward legislation at the earliest opportunity” to put tighter controls on pre-release access, according to a select committee report published today.

In 2010, the Ministry of Justice outsourced its courts translation work – but the contractor struggled, and the system ground to a halt. As the probation outsourcing looms, Joshua Chambers looks at the lessons to be learned.

Cert.12

In cinemas now

Former cabinet secretary Lord O’Donnell is to present two programmes on Radio 4 in a bid to defend the work of the civil service.

David Pitchford, head of the Major Projects Authority (MPA), has taken charge of the Universal Credit programme on an interim basis while the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recruits a replacement for Philip Langsdale, who passed away last December.

More than half of civil servants struggle to access data from other parts of the public sector, a CSW poll carried out with data management firm Listpoint has revealed.

The Treasury’s financial accounts are “impenetrable” and the department is neglecting its duty to prevent poor spending decisions, according to a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report published last Friday.

New Zealand is reforming its government structures to promote cross-departmental working. Dr Jonathan Coleman explains how.

As governments worldwide wrestle with shrinking budgets, increased volatility and a tide of open data, Matt Ross learns how public service leaders from different countries are meeting the challenges of an ever-changing world

The level of public trust in civil servants has risen dramatically over the last 30 years, a poll by the Ipsos MORI Social Research Institute has found, while politicians are firmly ensconsed at the foot of the table.

Organisations providing employment support through the Work Programme are failing to support people from the hardest-to-help groups, despite financial incentives set up to encourage contractors to focus on these claimants, according to a Public Account Committee (PAC) report published today.

A university official charged with recruiting students tells Will Hazell of his fears that higher fees are cutting student numbers and reducing efficiency.

Only Quentin Tarantino could start out making a film about slavery, and end up making a film about himself. In Django Unchained, the brutal reality of the ante-bellum South is used as a grotesque embellishment to a film with no real purpose other allowing the director to show off. At one point, he even swaggers on screen himself in one of the least convincing scenes of this abysmal film.

When John Beddington became the government’s chief scientific adviser, many departments didn’t employ an influential science champion. But now, he tells Colin Marrs, the quality of science is on the rise across Whitehall

Reforming the civil service won’t “in itself make a dramatic difference to government effectiveness,” former cabinet secretary Lord O’Donnell told the Public Administration Select Committee today. Instead, government needs to ensure it is clear about what it wants to achieve, he added.

As the Olympics fade from memory, the legacy goals could also slip away – leaving London, like Athens, with a pricey herd of white elephants. Suzannah Brecknell tests the cross-Whitehall effort to reap the Games’ rewards.