PPE procurement drive left civil servants ‘drowning’ in VIP requests
23 Apr 2021 Coronavirus
PPE procurement drive left civil servants ‘drowning’ in VIP requests
Good Law Project says government’s “high-priority lane” for suppliers hampered officials’ ability to buy necessary equipment from legitimate suppliers
MPs slam lack of planning and poor data in Covid shielding scheme
22 Apr 2021 Coronavirus
MPs slam lack of planning and poor data in Covid shielding scheme
Some 800,000 people may have “slipped through the net and missed out on much-needed support”
Government launches antivirals taskforce to help country ‘learn to live' with Covid
21 Apr 2021 Coronavirus
Government launches antivirals taskforce to help country ‘learn to live' with Covid
New taskforce will lead development of coronavirus treatments in tablet or capsule form
Mitie lands £90m contract for quarantine-compliance checks
16 Apr 2021 Coronavirus
Mitie lands £90m contract for quarantine-compliance checks
Home Office says new service will visit up to 10,000 people a day who are supposed to be isolating at home
Test and Trace hired £40,000-a-day digital team after failure ‘to source civil servants with these skills’
14 Apr 2021 Coronavirus
Test and Trace hired £40,000-a-day digital team after failure ‘to source civil servants with these skills’
Procurement data reveals consultancy brought in to cover six-month drive to recruit specialists
DWP staff ‘angry’ over pandemic safety at jobcentres
13 Apr 2021 Coronavirus
DWP staff ‘angry’ over pandemic safety at jobcentres
Union says strike action could follow “reckless” increase of face-to-face interviews
Look out the suitcase: Grant Shapps says people can start planning foreign holidays again
09 Apr 2021 Coronavirus
Look out the suitcase: Grant Shapps says people can start planning foreign holidays again
Department for Transport set to publish a traffic light travel system to provide information on safe destinations
Union claims strong support for DVLA strike
08 Apr 2021 Coronavirus
Union claims strong support for DVLA strike
PCS says more than 1,400 members walked out of agency’s Swansea HQ on first day of Covid-safety dispute
Government hiring a £3,750-a-week consultant to ‘normalise testing as part of everyday life’
07 Apr 2021 Coronavirus
Government hiring a £3,750-a-week consultant to ‘normalise testing as part of everyday life’
Communications role to develop plan to support expansion of asymptomatic testing
Government to trial vaccine passports as PM confirms next stage of lockdown easing
06 Apr 2021 Coronavirus
Government to trial vaccine passports as PM confirms next stage of lockdown easing
Possible role for ‘Covid-status certification’ discussed as Cabinet Office review continues
DWP hits recruitment target for 13,500 additional work coaches
01 Apr 2021 Coronavirus
DWP hits recruitment target for 13,500 additional work coaches
But department is unable to say whether “jobs army” drive has doubled work-coach headcount to 27,000
HMCTS could need ‘several years’ to deal with pandemic backlogs
30 Mar 2021 Coronavirus
HMCTS could need ‘several years’ to deal with pandemic backlogs
Constitution Committee report says rule of law is at risk because of delayed hearings, with the most vulnerable people the hardest hit
PM refuses to rule out another lockdown as Covid restrictions ease
30 Mar 2021 Coronavirus
PM refuses to rule out another lockdown as Covid restrictions ease
Covid cases are no longer falling as rapidly as they have been, Boris Johnson warns
MPs vote to extend Covid powers as Hancock admits they may roll over into 2022
26 Mar 2021 Coronavirus
MPs vote to extend Covid powers as Hancock admits they may roll over into 2022
Health secretary says he "cannot answer" if the Coronavirus Act will be retired in September
'Challenge of a lifetime': DHSC seeks leader for Joint Biosecurity Centre
26 Mar 2021 Coronavirus
'Challenge of a lifetime': DHSC seeks leader for Joint Biosecurity Centre
JBC could get its third director general since being set up last year
DWP confirms locations for 80 new temporary jobcentres
24 Mar 2021 Coronavirus
DWP confirms locations for 80 new temporary jobcentres
Minister insists Covid-response programme is “not about reversing previous decisions on the broader renewal of the DWP estate”
DVLA staff set for four-day strike over Covid safety
24 Mar 2021 Coronavirus
DVLA staff set for four-day strike over Covid safety
Walkout will be followed by work-to-rule campaign says PCS union
'No return to normal': civil service must take risks and become more creative, cab sec and COO say Exclusive
23 Mar 2021 Coronavirus
'No return to normal': civil service must take risks and become more creative, cab sec and COO say
Message to officials says "using data smarter" and adopting fresh ideas should also be among civil service's focuses post-pandemic
Home Office in Covid alert after policing minister tests positive
22 Mar 2021 Coronavirus
Home Office in Covid alert after policing minister tests positive
Deep cleaning initiated after minister receives positive test notification at his desk
MPs find government has ‘presented pandemic data to provoke anxiety, rather than understand risk’
19 Mar 2021 Coronavirus
MPs find government has ‘presented pandemic data to provoke anxiety, rather than understand risk’
Parliamentary committee calls for more transparency in use of information and accuses Michael Gove of being ‘contemptuous of parliament’
Cabinet Office seeks views on controversial vaccine passport plans
16 Mar 2021 Coronavirus
Cabinet Office seeks views on controversial vaccine passport plans
Michael Gove acknowledges “complex issues of ethics, privacy and inclusion” in pandemic recovery
DVLA staff vote to strike over Covid health and safety fears
12 Mar 2021 Coronavirus
DVLA staff vote to strike over Covid health and safety fears
Members of the civil service’s biggest union back industrial action following concerns about infection rates and on-site staffing numbers
Outsourcer Sitel told contact tracers to use personal email accounts to share case details
11 Mar 2021 Coronavirus
Outsourcer Sitel told contact tracers to use personal email accounts to share case details
Managers rejected whistleblower's suggestion there was "probably a GDPR problem with sharing personal information via personal email"
MPs question return on DHSC’s ‘staggering’ £37bn NHS Test and Trace programme
10 Mar 2021 Coronavirus
MPs question return on DHSC’s ‘staggering’ £37bn NHS Test and Trace programme
Report flags “persistent reliance” on thousands of consultants, paid up to £6,624 a day and significant unused laboratory capacity for coronavirus tests