Civil Service Reform

After calling time on a long civil-service career earlier this year, the former Directgov and GDS leader discusses how digital government has evolved during the 20 years he spent as one of its leading advocates

Mike Parsons takes top role at Government Property Unit as it prepares to launch Government Property Agency

Post-Brexit Britain “could lose its research edge” unless departments step up, say public spending watchdogs

Senior officials defend rationale for new GPS tags but admit major failings of project now delayed by more than five years 

PAC report says tax agency doesn’t yet have money to upgrade customs service and develop contingency option in case of delays

I believe empathy should be considered a core civil service skill. These three steps will help make that happen

Bureaucrat-turned-academic Gary Sturgess argues Whitehall needs to up its game on public service contracting and commissioning. Jim Dunton reports

Sinn Féin and DUP fail to reach power-sharing deal but Northern Ireland secretary insists new legislation does not amount to direct rule

Civil Service World brought together a panel of digital leaders to assess how government can make better use of the technology at its disposal to drive innovation in public service delivery. Colin Marrs reports

Tax department chief reveals HMRC has requested but not received more details on the Paradise Papers document leak on offshore investment

Amyas Morse tells MPs that ministerial directions are too rare and departments must re-prioritise ahead of Brexit

Cabinet Office failed to respond to raft of measures to address the ‘alien culture’ that puts off new starters, HR advisor tells MPs

DWP, HMRC, DCMS and Cabinet Office staff win 2017 Reimagine Challenge for joined-up approach to aiding poor people in financial crisis

Public Accounts Committee to question tax officials today while union calls for halt of office closures plan 

The way harassment is dealt with in Whitehall has changed significantly in the last 30 years – particularly the culture that said you just had to put up with it

Union warns of strike potential over Courts and Tribunal Service’s hubs proposals

UK’s chief negotiator tells MPs department is in ‘good homework mode’ as Liam Fox confirms 734 new hires since February

Bernadette Kelly asked by MPs to look into “possibility of fraud” over £1.7m made in unauthorised redundancy payments

Baroness Stowell, Lord Heseltine, Baroness Warsi and Harriet Harman are the latest former minsters to look back on their time in Whitehall as part of the Institute for Government’s Ministers Reflect series. They reveal the good and the bad of the civil service

Appointments watchdog calls on departments to better coordinate their public appointments teams

HMRC chief says the organisation will present a ‘reprioritisation’ plan to ministers next year, and plans to hire more staff as Brexit workload increases

International development secretary and top officials insist department is pioneering transparency standards in government

Welsh Government “innovation directory” will pull together more timely big data and analysis for economists and policy makers