Leadership

Exclusive: Committee chair tells CSW inclusion of the word "instructions" gives "new potential for conflict" between Spads and permanent officials – but minister says changes will help departments become more "orderly and organised"

Chief inspector says some apprenticeships have been "devalued" by push to make them more widely available

General secretaries of the PCS and FDA unions renew their call for a rethink on civil service pay after cabinet secretary tells CSW officials are "realistic" about the need to cut the deficit

Home secretary says it is right that cabinet ministers are "not making comments" on Heathrow's third runway until final government decision

Civil servants not facing "doom and gloom" cabinet secretary tells CSW, as he hails "fantastic results” in spite of austerity

Sir Jeremy Heywood has been at the centre of power in Britain for longer than any prime minister. In a wide-ranging interview, Jess Bowie asks the cabinet secretary and head of the civil service about budget cuts, Whitehall pay, the Chilcot Inquiry – and whether he ever feels like throwing it all in

Camila Batmanghelidjh tells MPs there has been an "enormous amount of leaking from government offices" over charity's financial management

Business secretary tells MPs that axing Department for Business, Innovation and Skills would be a "step backwards". But he asks: "Do we need 80 locations?"

Richard Caborn spent a decade as a minister in the last Labour government. Here he shares his insights on working with officials – and explains why, on one occasion, the civil service went to the dogs...

Rupert McNeil appointed to new role taking charge of Whitehall's 3,000-strong HR profession

Latest Office for National Statistics figures document the changing shape of civil service working patterns, pay, and diversity

AXELOS is a joint venture officially launched in 2014 by Cabinet Office and Capita, to develop, manage and operate qualifications in best practice. Chief executive Peter Hepworth tells us about its work

The official view: former transport minister Stephen Hammond rates the civil service

What’s the opposite of outsourcing? Insourcing, of course – and the DVLA has just given it a go. As the driver agency moves more than 300 IT staff in-house, Matt Foster caught up with chief executive Oliver Morley and outgoing chief technology officer Iain Patterson

Exclusive: HMRC staff to find out about new network of more specialised regional centres in November as tax authority seeks cut in its number of offices

Menna Rawlings went from being HR director in a government department to serving as the UK's high commissioner in Australia – not the most obvious career move. But, as she explains, the two roles have more in the common than you might think...

The former top official at the Department for Work and Pensions shares his Whitehall reflections with CSW editor Jess Bowie

Find out which civil servants and departmental teams are in the running for an award

Regulator overseeing civil service recruitment makes four appointments – with strong emphasis on private sector backgrounds

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

"This is the start of regaining control of the IT estate," says outgoing DVLA digital chief Iain Patterson, as agency moves services back in-house

Cabinet secretary Jeremy Heywood unveils new external diversity advisers

Workforce shrinks by 8,000 posts – with GovCos and privatisations accounting for much of the change

Director general for civil service reform to take up post as Home Office’s second permanent secretary, with responsibility for immigration and free movement