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
Government to create data protection team to boost cross-department compliance
28 Oct Digital, Data & Technology
Government to create data protection team to boost cross-department compliance
MPs grill Legal Aid Agency over cyberattack that prompted system shutdown
24 Oct Digital, Data & Technology
MPs grill Legal Aid Agency over cyberattack that prompted system shutdown
Cabinet Office given responsibility for Digital ID policy
24 Oct Digital, Data & Technology
Cabinet Office given responsibility for Digital ID policy
Limited access to data holding us back, immigration policy advisers warn
02 Dec 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
Limited access to data holding us back, immigration policy advisers warn
MAC chair calls for improvements to "robustly measure the impact of the new immigration system during a period of huge change"
DfE expands supplier base for laptops scheme
01 Dec 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
DfE expands supplier base for laptops scheme
Department brings in two additional IT resellers to supply about 165,000 extra devices
HMRC and Home Office the big winners as spending review commits £600m to ‘fix outdated government IT’
30 Nov 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
HMRC and Home Office the big winners as spending review commits £600m to ‘fix outdated government IT’
Document also outlines projection of extra £700m revenue from digital taxation regime
Home Office seeks SRO for troubled emergency services comms network programme
16 Nov 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
Home Office seeks SRO for troubled emergency services comms network programme
Official expected to strike "appropriate balance between delivering at pace and managing operational risk" on delayed and over-budget programme
NHS ‘improves accuracy’ of contact-tracing app as downloads near 20 million
03 Nov 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
NHS ‘improves accuracy’ of contact-tracing app as downloads near 20 million
Update will end ‘ghost notifications’, government claims
Cabinet Office publishes employee and supplier personal info in data breach
29 Oct 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
Cabinet Office publishes employee and supplier personal info in data breach
Improperly redacted contract included names and mobile phone numbers – which remained publicly available four days after department had been notified of breach
HM Land Registry offers £120k for digital chief to lead transformation
26 Oct 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
HM Land Registry offers £120k for digital chief to lead transformation
Tech leader will oversee digitisation of platforms and infrastructure upgrades
Joint Biosecurity Centre partners with stats and machine-learning experts to inform Covid response
22 Oct 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
Joint Biosecurity Centre partners with stats and machine-learning experts to inform Covid response
The Alan Turing Institute and Royal Statistical Society to set up virtual lab
‘The opportunity to have organisations of all types publishing data to common standards is really exciting’: why stats regulators' new award matters
21 Oct 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
‘The opportunity to have organisations of all types publishing data to common standards is really exciting’: why stats regulators' new award matters
The first ever award to recognise the voluntary application of the Office for Statistics Regulation code has been awarded jointly to MHCLG and the Scottish Fiscal Commission, with UCAS named highly commended.
Interview: UK national statistician on how data has helped government – and the public – in coronavirus response
20 Oct 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
Interview: UK national statistician on how data has helped government – and the public – in coronavirus response
To mark World Statistics Day, Professor Sir Ian Diamond reveals how the work of statisticians has been crucial in supporting government’s pandemic response, as well as his thoughts on the media and politicians’ use of numbers
Opinion: Dominic Cummings is keen to make the UK a technology superpower. He should change procurement rules to make it happen
13 Oct 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
Opinion: Dominic Cummings is keen to make the UK a technology superpower. He should change procurement rules to make it happen
Innovation is stifled by public sector procurement rules. Brexit, and the Integrated Review, offer a chance to change that, says Simon Harwood, the head of defence and security at Cranfield University
DWP to trial digital system for issuing National Insurance numbers
13 Oct 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
DWP to trial digital system for issuing National Insurance numbers
Service will be made available to small number of applicants
Cabinet Office to pay £300k for mobile data tracking to 'prevent Covid transmission risk'
13 Oct 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
Cabinet Office to pay £300k for mobile data tracking to 'prevent Covid transmission risk'
"Mobile-based location services and digital advertising experts" to monitor footfall and social distancing in shopping "hotspots"
09 Oct 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
DfE broke data-protection law, ICO investigation finds
Watchdog makes 139 recommendations after identifying numerous lapses
Amazon hosting deal with GDS doubles to £6.6m as minister fends off questions over UK chief’s advisory role
06 Oct 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
Amazon hosting deal with GDS doubles to £6.6m as minister fends off questions over UK chief’s advisory role
New contract came into effect on 1 July, as minister claims "robust measures" in place to mitigate against possible conflicts of interest
GDS opens recruitment for chief executive
02 Oct 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
GDS opens recruitment for chief executive
Digital agency offers salary of £168k in search for first permanent head in more than a year
DWP to ‘create new digital function’ as BPDTS is brought back in-house
01 Oct 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
DWP to ‘create new digital function’ as BPDTS is brought back in-house
Union says move completes 'full circle' of change for outsourced benefits and pensions technology services
What sensitive data did the Home Office lose in Belgrade?
30 Sep 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
What sensitive data did the Home Office lose in Belgrade?
Department’s annual report shows, for the first time in many years, documents or data lost from a secure government building had to be reported to the ICO. CSW's sister title PublicTechnology finds out more.
DCMS names telecoms diversification task force after Huawei ban
28 Sep 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
DCMS names telecoms diversification task force after Huawei ban
A selection of telecoms executives and academics will help deliver a strategy to be published later this year
GOV.UK to trial personalised accounts
24 Sep 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
GOV.UK to trial personalised accounts
Citizens will be offered the chance to create an online login to government portal
NAO to probe transparency of government procurement during pandemic
21 Sep 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
NAO to probe transparency of government procurement during pandemic
Auditor general says spending watchdog will produce ‘detailed piece of work’
Companies House unveils clampdown on identity fraud among reforms
21 Sep 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
Companies House unveils clampdown on identity fraud among reforms
BEIS executive agency to bar appointment of directors until verification checks are performed
DfID was one of government’s most data savvy departments. Preserving these skills will be a test of Whitehall reform
17 Sep 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
DfID was one of government’s most data savvy departments. Preserving these skills will be a test of Whitehall reform
DfID used data and analysis in a way that few other departments manage – and in a way that the government is keen to expand. How this is nurtured in the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will be a key lesson
NHS contact tracing app to launch this month amid increasing test concerns
15 Sep 2020 Digital, Data & Technology
NHS contact tracing app to launch this month amid increasing test concerns
App launch announced as NHS Providers accuses government of not “being as open” with testing capacity problems