New rules on officials speaking in public will have 'chilling effect' – IfG
26 Jun Communications

New rules on officials speaking in public will have 'chilling effect' – IfG

Think tank says internal government guidance banning senior officials from speaking at certain events will lead to worse policy and decision making
by Tevye Markson
Civil Service World announces partnership with the Charity for Civil Servants
09 Jul Communications
Civil Service World announces partnership with the Charity for Civil Servants
‘Unworkable’: Former senior civil servants question new public speaking rules
27 Jun Communications
‘Unworkable’: Former senior civil servants question new public speaking rules
Perm sec-level job created to lead government comms as Simon Baugh departs
20 May Communications
Perm sec-level job created to lead government comms as Simon Baugh departs
BCC emails remain public sector data-protection blind spot, ICO warns
11 Oct 2023 Communications
BCC emails remain public sector data-protection blind spot, ICO warns
Regulator targets ‘avoidable’ mistake as part of ongoing drive to improve standards
Sunak fails to hand over WhatsApp messages to Covid Inquiry
03 Oct 2023 Communications
Sunak fails to hand over WhatsApp messages to Covid Inquiry
PM blames officials for not preserving messages he did not back up when switching phones
'No more sugar coating': MoJ tries new approach in prison-officer recruitment drive
02 Oct 2023 Communications
'No more sugar coating': MoJ tries new approach in prison-officer recruitment drive
New video adverts depict grim reality of working in prisons
'First impressions are everything': How to be a press secretary
25 Sep 2023 Communications
'First impressions are everything': How to be a press secretary
Former Cabinet Office press secretary Shaun Jepson shares tips for comms success
'Repeat offender' DLUHC rapped for slow responses to committee reports
21 Sep 2023 Communications
'Repeat offender' DLUHC rapped for slow responses to committee reports
Department has missed its deadline for responding to committee reports by six months on average this session
Go to work on an egg: posters from a golden age of government comms
04 Sep 2023 Communications
Go to work on an egg: posters from a golden age of government comms
CSW looks back on the creativity and context of some memorable campaigns from the postwar years
Home Office defends ex-asylum chief against 'chief policy blocker' jibe
30 Aug 2023 Communications
Home Office defends ex-asylum chief against 'chief policy blocker' jibe
Criticism of Emma Haddad rejected following her move to Amnesty International UK
Cabinet Office seeks new media chief as head of news jets off to British Airways
10 Jul 2023 Communications
Cabinet Office seeks new media chief as head of news jets off to British Airways
Head of news role “at the heart of government” will pay up to £118k a year
Lunch with....Ofcom chief exec and former communities perm sec Melanie Dawes
10 Jul 2023 Communications
Lunch with....Ofcom chief exec and former communities perm sec Melanie Dawes
The chief executive of Ofcom breaks bread with Jess Bowie
ICO to probe use of personal data in government anti-disinformation work
16 Jun 2023 Communications
ICO to probe use of personal data in government anti-disinformation work
Data watchdog will speak to Cabinet Office and DSIT following media revelations about social-media monitoring
MPs ask HMRC for answers over summer helpline closure
16 Jun 2023 Communications
MPs ask HMRC for answers over summer helpline closure
Treasury Committee questions impact of self-assessment phone line changes on citizens and lack of notice
'The more bids that are evaluated, the better the AI output will become': Can ChatGPT do a civil servant's job?
13 Jun 2023 Communications
'The more bids that are evaluated, the better the AI output will become': Can ChatGPT do a civil servant's job?
CSW asked a cross-section of officials to play around with ChatGPT and establish how good it is at some of the everyday tasks they perform in their jobs. Here, Jack Perschke, director for public sector at Content+Cloud, considers what ChatGPT could mean for public procurement.
'The PQ response read as more frank and open than we might be happy to clear': Can ChatGPT do a civil servant's job?
13 Jun 2023 Communications
'The PQ response read as more frank and open than we might be happy to clear': Can ChatGPT do a civil servant's job?
CSW asked a cross-section of officials to play around with ChatGPT and establish how good it is at some of the everyday tasks they perform in their jobs. Here, Gemma from the Department for Work and Pensions gives it a shot at answering a parliamentary written question... and applying for a grade 7 job
'It didn’t seem to grasp the rationale': Can ChatGPT do a civil servant's job?
13 Jun 2023 Communications
'It didn’t seem to grasp the rationale': Can ChatGPT do a civil servant's job?
CSW asked a cross-section of officials to play around with ChatGPT and establish how good it is at some of the everyday tasks they perform in their jobs. Here, Greg from the Department for Business and Trade asks for help designing net-zero policy
'Make up an imaginary policy idea, and write a ministerial submission': Can ChatGPT do a civil servant's job?
13 Jun 2023 Communications
'Make up an imaginary policy idea, and write a ministerial submission': Can ChatGPT do a civil servant's job?
CSW asked a cross-section of officials to play around with ChatGPT and establish how good it is at some of the everyday tasks they perform in their jobs. Here, Henry from the Department for Business and Trade sees how well it can craft a ministerial submission.
Education policy in the style of Shakespeare: Can ChatGPT do a civil servant's job?
13 Jun 2023 Communications
Education policy in the style of Shakespeare: Can ChatGPT do a civil servant's job?
CSW asked a cross-section of officials to play around with ChatGPT and establish how good it is at some of the everyday tasks they perform in their jobs. Here, William from the Department for Education puts his team's sassy chatbot, Ariadne, to the test...
Can ChatGPT do a civil servant's job? CSW's panel put it to the test
13 Jun 2023 Communications
Can ChatGPT do a civil servant's job? CSW's panel put it to the test
We asked a cross-section of officials to play around with ChatGPT and establish how good it is at some of the everyday tasks they perform in their jobs. See how well it did...
'This is a really big deal': Could ChatGPT change how civil servants work?
13 Jun 2023 Communications
'This is a really big deal': Could ChatGPT change how civil servants work?
From "radical efficiencies" to "hallucinations", we explore the implications for government officials of large language models like ChatGPT
WhatsApp used for coffee orders not key Covid decisions, former minister says
05 Jun 2023 Communications
WhatsApp used for coffee orders not key Covid decisions, former minister says
Lord Bethell says big decisions were not taken via the messaging service during the pandemic
Revolution by retweet: The growing influence of social media on education policy
05 Jun 2023 Communications
Revolution by retweet: The growing influence of social media on education policy
Richard Willis analyses the impact of changing technology on education policymaking
Cabinet Office launches legal action over Boris Johnson WhatsApps
02 Jun 2023 Communications
Cabinet Office launches legal action over Boris Johnson WhatsApps
"Important issues of principal at stake," department says
Covid Inquiry: Lawyers flag ‘missing year’ in Johnson’s WhatsApp submissions
02 Jun 2023 Communications
Covid Inquiry: Lawyers flag ‘missing year’ in Johnson’s WhatsApp submissions
Ex-PM has provided no phone messages from before May 2021, despite “full disclosure” claims
Covid Inquiry: Boris Johnson hands WhatsApps and notes to Cabinet Office
01 Jun 2023 Communications
Covid Inquiry: Boris Johnson hands WhatsApps and notes to Cabinet Office
Row heats up as Cabinet Office refuses to share records it believes are "irrelevant" to public inquiry
‘It appals me’: ex-GCHQ director condemns government WhatsApp use
31 May 2023 Communications
‘It appals me’: ex-GCHQ director condemns government WhatsApp use
David Omand says informal comms should not be used to discuss important government information