Economics

Public Accounts Committee says Concentrix debacle highlights potential for error as Universal Credit rollout continues

Public Accounts Committee welcomes sharper monitoring of programme to free up land for housebuilding – but says "slow start" by some departments may make it hard to hit 2020 target

Amid debate over the future of the revolving door watchdog Acoba, Cabinet Office's Chris Skidmore warns against undermining "modern, dynamic" moves between public and private sector

HMRC chief says he will have "something to announce within the next few working days" about end of contract with US outsourcing firm, and says company "simply didn’t put enough people" on tax credit inquiry lines

UKEF chief Louis Taylor tells CSW he has struck deal with Treasury to end "very inefficient use of money" through contractors

National Audit Office finds “no evidence" chief social worker influenced decision to award contracts to consultancy she used to hold shares in — but raises concern over the way the department sought to manage conflicts of interest

First central government department to offer payroll credit union savings scheme reveals take-up

Financial services director moves upwards in the Treasury, and faces in-tray set to be dominated by the UK's decision to quit the European Union

Acoba suggests "senior, independent, board-level oversight" could help ensure compliance with rules governing post-Whitehall careers of former officials and ministers

FT reports that the chancellor wants a tighter focus on the spring Budget to avoid policy gimmicks

Foreshew-Cain, who left Whitehall last month, follows in the footsteps of ex-GDS leader Mike Bracken

The Public Accounts Committee says the government's latest plan to cut costs by sharing back office functions has failed to learn the lessons of previous attempts

Civil service chief John Manzoni (pictured) and Treasury perm sec Tom Scholar say annual updates to the much-criticised Single Departmental Plans will address "big elephant" of Britain's exit from the EU

Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy permanent secretary tells MPs that overall financial envelope for the combined energy and business ministry "hasn't yet been resolved" – and says he hopes majority of merger complete by March

Appointments watchdog Acoba says Kingman had "no direct role in most policies that affected" Legal and General during his time at the Treasury

National Institute of Economic and Social Research study, commissioned by the government, finds “no significant or systematic impact” of the programme, as the Department for Communities and Local Government says it has learned lessons from its first phase

Public Accounts Committee says cross departmental snapshot must be produced more quickly, include more comparative data, and be more risk-focused in the wake of the UK’s decision to leave the European Union

 

Tax authority's chief exec tells MPs that Whitehall has clear lessons to learn from failings with outsourced tax credit checking deal

Annual resource bulletin claims fall down to “bedding in” of Levene Reforms

Think-tank raises eyebrow at PM’s capacity to turn her Conservative Party Conference pledges into reality against backdrop of further belt-tightening and Brexit uncertainty

Peter Lawson and Samantha Ulyatt to take up post in the coming weeks

Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union says work that redeployed HMRC staff normally do "will be building up" as they focus on Concentrix tax credit queries

George Osborne's successor at the Treasury says his fiscal approach will involve "recognising the need for investment"

The Institute for Fiscal Studies, the Institute for Government, and the Chartered Institute of Taxation say the UK's tax system suffers from "too little sense of direction, consultation or evaluation"