Brexit

With the end of 2016 fast approaching, we asked the UK's top civil servants to look back at the year, outline their goals for 2017 – and shed some light on their festive favourites.Clare Moriarty, permanent secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs takes part in our annual perm secs round-up​

DIT officials say Whitehall has trebled its trade policy staff numbers since the referendum, and stress focus on training up existing staff rather than drafting in outsiders

Former chief executive of the Office of Rail and Road has also been Defra and Home Office chief economist

Fomer Foreign and Commonwealth Office director of strategy Alex Ellis set to join new department in January as director general

Former education secretary calls for weekly naming and shaming of civil servants working on big projects, but union for senior officials says his intervention is "more about resurrecting his career as a columnist"

The Department for Exiting the EU will be given £94m a year from 2017, while the FCO and trade department receive extra funding to build trade policy capability. But the FDA union has warned of EU exit "on the cheap"

Spending Review 2015 plans "will remain in place", says the new chancellor – but departments will be able to reinvest some of their 2019/20 savings

"Brexit will be a true test of whether SDPs are fit for purpose", says the Public Accounts Committee

 Former head of the civil service Lord Kerslake urges government to "pause, review, take stock of what it has in front of it and then revisit the question of capacity"

Department looks for almost 100 new staff on a three-year, fixed-term basis

Exclusive: Ian Watmore tells CSW he is "absolutely convinced" that the current crop of ministers "wants to preserve Northcote-Travelyan" model of an impartial civil service, as he sets out focus on diversity, skills and leadership

Labour Party says appointment of Pippa Malmgren raises “awkward questions” for international trade secretary Liam Fox