Departing Land Registry chief Simon Hayes talks lockdown, hybrid working and fighting the perfect storm of staff shortages and record demand
03 Sep Digital, Data & Technology

Departing Land Registry chief Simon Hayes talks lockdown, hybrid working and fighting the perfect storm of staff shortages and record demand

Hayes reflects on transformation, choices and challenges at HMLR as he departs after six years in post to become chief exec at Sports England
by Jess Bowie
DSIT staff numbers increase by more than half as GDS moves in
05 Sep Digital, Data & Technology
DSIT staff numbers increase by more than half as GDS moves in
MPs launch probe into MoD’s Afghan data breach
04 Sep Digital, Data & Technology
MPs launch probe into MoD’s Afghan data breach
Government warned of need to go 'further and faster' to improve data security
01 Sep Digital, Data & Technology
Government warned of need to go 'further and faster' to improve data security
'Chief design officers are pretty rare in government – here's why my role matters'
02 Aug 2022 Digital, Data & Technology
'Chief design officers are pretty rare in government – here's why my role matters'
A huge diversity of people and roles make up the modern civil service. Cat Macaulay ensures that officials – in partnership with citizens – design the right solutions to the right problems
'Mask-wearing and remote working were very tough for deaf officials – but there are positive Covid-19 legacies too'
02 Aug 2022 Digital, Data & Technology
'Mask-wearing and remote working were very tough for deaf officials – but there are positive Covid-19 legacies too'
A huge diversity of people and roles make up the modern civil service. Here, Lisa Baldock tells us how her own experiences help her make the DWP’s tech as inclusive as possible
Nadine Dorries appoints Tory donor to broadband delivery role
21 Jul 2022 Digital, Data & Technology
Nadine Dorries appoints Tory donor to broadband delivery role
Simon Blagden and companies he is associated with have donated more than £370,000 to the party
Suppliers see progress in government tech-savviness, research finds
19 Jul 2022 Digital, Data & Technology
Suppliers see progress in government tech-savviness, research finds
But tech firms also see continued challenges, including overlapping frameworks and lack of clarity on social-value requirements
DCMS consultancy spending quadruples in two years
14 Jul 2022 Digital, Data & Technology
DCMS consultancy spending quadruples in two years
Money spent on external advice increased fourfold overnight
Data watchdog calls for review into use of WhatsApp and private email in government
13 Jul 2022 Digital, Data & Technology
Data watchdog calls for review into use of WhatsApp and private email in government
ICO's investigation into instant messaging by DHSC officials and ministers during pandemic concludes
UCL boss named civil service chief people officer
12 Jul 2022 Digital, Data & Technology
UCL boss named civil service chief people officer
Fiona Ryland joins alongside former HMRC and NHS staffer Mike Potter, who has been appointed chief digital officer
'Disappointing': Cabinet Office rejects call for more transparency about secretive FoI unit
12 Jul 2022 Digital, Data & Technology
'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”
Read the summer 2022 issue of CSW: A Portrait of the Civil Service
04 Jul 2022 Digital, Data & Technology
Read the summer 2022 issue of CSW: A Portrait of the Civil Service
Officials working in some of the many organisations and functions that make up government give us a glimpse inside their world
Home Office perm sec hits back at calls to privatise HM Passport Office
27 Jun 2022 Digital, Data & Technology
Home Office perm sec hits back at calls to privatise HM Passport Office
Hotline performance disproves the argument that “the way to reduce the size of the civil service is to privatise it", Rycroft says
Commons to delete MPs' attendance data after pressure from ministers
22 Jun 2022 Digital, Data & Technology
Commons to delete MPs' attendance data after pressure from ministers
Change comes after Jacob Rees-Mogg slams “lefty Freedom of Information request"
DWP's repeated failures to publish research could undermine trust, MPs warn
20 Jun 2022 Digital, Data & Technology
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
Government hopes to announce new chief digital officer ‘very shortly’
13 Jun 2022 Digital, Data & Technology
Government hopes to announce new chief digital officer ‘very shortly’
Process to recruit tech supremo is now in its ‘final stages’
'Previous digital and data strategies were long in aspiration and short in delivery': Why this time is different
13 Jun 2022 Digital, Data & Technology
'Previous digital and data strategies were long in aspiration and short in delivery': Why this time is different
The new three-year plan for government’s use of digital and data includes a commitment to improve scores of departments’ biggest services, Alex Chisholm says
Wall of silence surrounds plan for nationwide collection of citizens’ internet records
07 Jun 2022 Digital, Data & Technology
Wall of silence surrounds plan for nationwide collection of citizens’ internet records
Online notice reveals controversial trials are to be expanded into a national service – about which government, law enforcement, watchdogs and all the UK’s major ISPs declined to answer questions
MPs seek assurances FoI clearing house review will be independent
27 May 2022 Digital, Data & Technology
MPs seek assurances FoI clearing house review will be independent
PACAC also asks for information commissioner's take on terms of references for the review
Read the May 2022 edition of Civil Service World
19 May 2022 Digital, Data & Technology
Read the May 2022 edition of Civil Service World
Alex Chisholm talks civil service reform, plus a look inside the ONS Data Science Campus
£1,200-a-day consultants make up more than one in 10 of UK Health Security Agency workforce
17 May 2022 Digital, Data & Technology
£1,200-a-day consultants make up more than one in 10 of UK Health Security Agency workforce
Jenny Harries reveals average day rates for management consultants – who are paid between £706 and £3,100 a day
Ageing DWP IT 'stopped Sunak raising benefits to keep pace with inflation'
10 May 2022 Digital, Data & Technology
Ageing DWP IT 'stopped Sunak raising benefits to keep pace with inflation'
Reports claim chancellor was advised that payments of legacy benefits could only be increased once a year
Cabinet Office signs £400k deal for digital accessibility audits
06 May 2022 Digital, Data & Technology
Cabinet Office signs £400k deal for digital accessibility audits
Central department stresses importance of ‘highest standards’, given its role in ensuring others’ compliance with regulation
‘Typical hostile environment treatment’ – Home Office leaves thousands of Turkish nationals waiting more than a year for visa decisions
05 May 2022 Digital, Data & Technology
‘Typical hostile environment treatment’ – Home Office leaves thousands of Turkish nationals waiting more than a year for visa decisions
Applicants say they have been provided with little information on the processing delays that mean they cannot leave the UK – even for births or funerals – and struggle to prove their right to live and work in this country
Government digital profession given licence to offer £45k a year extra for key senior roles
04 May 2022 Digital, Data & Technology
Government digital profession given licence to offer £45k a year extra for key senior roles
Pilot scheme will allow DDaT posts to tap into ‘pivotal role allowance’
Data black hole means government lacks grasp on two-thirds of local spending
04 May 2022 Digital, Data & Technology
Data black hole means government lacks grasp on two-thirds of local spending
Government does not understand why local authority performances vary due to £10bn data gap, think tank says
‘Wholesale undermining of transparency’: What do we know about the Cabinet Office clearing house?
28 Apr 2022 Digital, Data & Technology
‘Wholesale undermining of transparency’: What do we know about the Cabinet Office clearing house?
Ahead of the release of a PACAC report into the secretive unit, CSW speaks to three FoI experts to find out their concerns about the clearing house