HMRC home working ‘not to blame’ for self-assessment helpline delays
25 Jan Communications

HMRC home working ‘not to blame’ for self-assessment helpline delays

Perm sec blames unnecessary calls and last-minute rush to file tax returns for busy phone lines
by Tevye Markson
Civil servant ‘sacked’ after calling on Simon Case to quit on phone-in show
24 Jan Communications
Civil servant ‘sacked’ after calling on Simon Case to quit on phone-in show
Starting the year with inclusivity: how civil servants can become disability allies
23 Jan Communications
Starting the year with inclusivity: how civil servants can become disability allies
HMRC among most-impersonated agencies by cyber-scammers
09 Jan Communications
HMRC among most-impersonated agencies by cyber-scammers
Cabinet Office offers £61k for deputy civil service comms head
17 Jan Communications
Cabinet Office offers £61k for deputy civil service comms head
Communications directorate is “looking to enhance” its capability, including its advice to top officials
‘Deciding where to cut staff was hard’ – Simon Baugh on restructuring GCS and reacting to once-in-a-generation events
06 Jan Communications
‘Deciding where to cut staff was hard’ – Simon Baugh on restructuring GCS and reacting to once-in-a-generation events
The Government Communication Service chief exec is proud of how staff responded to Omicron and Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Scottish Government officials win right to disconnect out of hours
14 Dec 2022 Communications
Scottish Government officials win right to disconnect out of hours
Scotland's civil servants are UK's first workers to have a legal right not to be contacted out of hours, Prospect union says
HMRC phone lines closed over 'technical issue' – MPs demand answers
05 Dec 2022 Communications
HMRC phone lines closed over 'technical issue' – MPs demand answers
Suspension of helpline services a "serious concern", Treasury committee chair says
Former No.10 comms chief warned over risk of breaching anti-corruption rules
02 Dec 2022 Communications
Former No.10 comms chief warned over risk of breaching anti-corruption rules
Acoba says listings on speaking-agency websites could land Guto Harri in hot water
DHSC rapped for sharing 'misleading' graph on nurses' wage rise
30 Nov 2022 Communications
DHSC rapped for sharing 'misleading' graph on nurses' wage rise
Tweet shared after nurses' strike announced remains up despite warning it could harm public confidence
Ofgem apologises for slow response to MPs' letters amid energy crisis Exclusive
14 Oct 2022 Communications
Ofgem apologises for slow response to MPs' letters amid energy crisis
Regulator “working hard to fix” response time, while Passport Office, UKVI, Immigration Enforcement and Border Force fail to cope with deluge of correspondence
Wokery in the civil service: separating fact from fiction
29 Sep 2022 Communications
Wokery in the civil service: separating fact from fiction
We take a personal look at a divisive and highly politicised topic, to uncover the real issues which lie behind it
Team Truss’s top three themes already twisted into knots
28 Sep 2022 Communications
Team Truss’s top three themes already twisted into knots
The NHS, the energy crisis and the economy were would-be PM Truss's top priorities. But the Plan for Patients is underwhelming
Former Home Office DG rapped over returning to department as consultant
27 Sep 2022 Communications
Former Home Office DG rapped over returning to department as consultant
Ex-official breached business appointment rules by failing to seek anti-corruption watchdog's advice
Coffey memo riles DHSC and UKHSA staff
16 Sep 2022 Communications
Coffey memo riles DHSC and UKHSA staff
Style-guide tips channel Jacob Rees-Mogg after new health secretary's appointment
Public bodies told to scale back publishing following Queen’s death
09 Sep 2022 Communications
Public bodies told to scale back publishing following Queen’s death
Cabinet Office internal communications guidance says "vast majority” of social media and GOV.UK output should be suspended
DIT told to improve ‘unacceptable’ Freedom of Information delays
09 Sep 2022 Communications
DIT told to improve ‘unacceptable’ Freedom of Information delays
ICO also tells BEIS to improve disclosure practices as part of new willingness to act on poor performance
Jonathan Van-Tam given prestigious award for Covid press briefings
24 Aug 2022 Communications
Jonathan Van-Tam given prestigious award for Covid press briefings
Royal Society says he played a critical role in public engagement during the Covid-19 pandemic
Cabinet Office officials told to check speakers' social media for 'problematic' comments
15 Aug 2022 Communications
Cabinet Office officials told to check speakers' social media for 'problematic' comments
New guidance aims to prevent invitations to speakers who have made discriminatory comments in the past
Revealed: Tony Blair taken to task by officials over poor performance at PMQs
28 Jul 2022 Communications
Revealed: Tony Blair taken to task by officials over poor performance at PMQs
Newly released papers reveal how the then-prime minister was heavily criticised by his own officials
'Disappointing': Cabinet Office rejects call for more transparency about secretive FoI unit
12 Jul 2022 Communications
'Disappointing': Cabinet Office rejects call for more transparency about secretive FoI unit
Government says releasing more data on the FoI Clearing House would be a “disproportionate use of resources”
Zahawi’s 'political' use of Treasury notepaper raises questions
11 Jul 2022 Communications
Zahawi’s 'political' use of Treasury notepaper raises questions
New chancellor called for Boris Johnson’s resignation on HMT headed notepaper
Don’t oversell benefits of post-Brexit trade deals, DIT warned
08 Jul 2022 Communications
Don’t oversell benefits of post-Brexit trade deals, DIT warned
MPs criticise "failure to maximise gains and minimise losses" in landmark Australia agreement
Cabinet Office rejects call to publish full review into FoI clearing house
06 Jul 2022 Communications
Cabinet Office rejects call to publish full review into FoI clearing house
Decision is “perhaps the biggest risk to public confidence in the process”, information commissioner says
Cabinet secretary urged to clamp down on No.10 press-office ‘lies’
06 Jul 2022 Communications
Cabinet secretary urged to clamp down on No.10 press-office ‘lies’
Press officers' integrity may be "just another piece of collateral damage from the prime minister’s behaviour", IfG says
DHSC admits record keeping fell short during pandemic as MPs probe sleaze row Exclusive
22 Jun 2022 Communications
DHSC admits record keeping fell short during pandemic as MPs probe sleaze row
Department says Randox meetings should have been better documented
DWP's repeated failures to publish research could undermine trust, MPs warn
20 Jun 2022 Communications
DWP's repeated failures to publish research could undermine trust, MPs warn
Committee demands explanation for lack of transparency, pointing to nine failures to release information
New cost-of-living tsar called Boris Johnson a 'lame duck PM'
15 Jun 2022 Communications
New cost-of-living tsar called Boris Johnson a 'lame duck PM'
Just Eat boss David Buttress has also said "Boris has to go" and called him a "dead man walking politically"