Culture

As the government’s most senior medical adviser, it’s Dame Sally Davies’ job to stand up for hard evidence and grapple with some of the country’s biggest health challenges. Matt Foster meets her

Closing the gender pay gap and improving promotion rates among under-represented groups among first Diversity and Inclusion Objectives for permanent secretaries

Civil service gender champion Melanie Dawes acknowledges past failure on diversity challenge, but says senior civil service committed to tackling “dangers of group think”

The chief of the FDA union warns that Whitehall will miss out on a significant talent pool if under-represented groups do not believe a leadership role in the civil service is for them

Culture secretary tells MPs budget cuts will lead to “difficult decisions” for DCMS but department not in “any danger” of disappearing 

New report shows rise in successful applications to graduate scheme from black and minority ethnic candidates, but slight dip in proportion of women accepted onto the programme

Keela Shackell-Smith describes how she helped break the Environment Agency’s glass ceiling and increase the percentage of women in senior roles 

An adult social worker discusses how budget cuts and legislative changes mean those in his profession now spend more time on paperwork than looking after people in need

Opinion: The Trade Union Bill ignores the positive role that unions can play

Images of journeys, food and friends work wonders in speeches – but phrases like “accelerating reform” are a definite turn-off. Oliver Rowe reviews Simon Lancaster’s Winning Minds: Secrets from the Language of Leadership

Theatre review: Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan's retelling of George Orwell's classic makes for a superbly nervy viewing experience

Welfare cuts plan will reportedly be spread out over three years

Channel 4’s new comedy pokes fun at Whitehall, but it’s more Skins than The Thick of It, says Sarah Aston

DCMS permanent secretary Sue Owen will succeed Simon Fraser in role coordinating Whitehall's efforts to boost diversity, while the MoD's Jon Thompson handed remit to encourage people from lower-income backgrounds into the civil service

Fretting about tomorrow’s front pages, dealing with Downing Street, and letting the policy team down gently – former press officer Dunstan Hadley reveals what it’s really like working in government comms

The civil service's leadership is undoubtedly serious about diversity, but it has a tough road ahead of it

Report by the National Audit Office says Cabinet Office’s Talent Action Plan on Whitehall diversity needs measures “to track progress and help sustain momentum”

National Audit Office finds £3.2bn training programme will "not be running at full capacity until 2019"

Official in charge of Scotland’s fair work agenda admits set-up of Scottish civil service keeps out applicants with criminal convictions

Report by the National Audit Office says Department for Work and Pensions must get better at spotting potential problems with big schemes

New man in 70 Whitehall to tell IfG he wants officials to "feel in control of their destiny"

John Whittingdale to lead culture department, Amber Rudd gets energy and Sajid Javid moves to BIS, as post-election reshuffle continues

Five years ago, Gus O’Donnell was a key player in the delicate transition to a coalition government. Peter Hennessy asks the former cabinet secretary what we might expect after next month’s vote

Shadow justice secretary Sadiq Khan says civil service's Fast Stream graduate programme will have 'diversity targets and quotas' to improve black and minority ethnic representation