VOA: 125-year-old agency to be absorbed into HMRC
29 Apr Government Tax Profession

VOA: 125-year-old agency to be absorbed into HMRC

Union calls decision to move ALB's functions into HMRC a “slap in the face to hard-working civil servants”
by Tevye Markson
Union sounds alarm on Valuation Office Agency ‘integration’ with HMRC
28 Nov Government Tax Profession
Union sounds alarm on Valuation Office Agency ‘integration’ with HMRC
'Successful transformation requires cultural change': What's in HMRC's Transformation Roadmap?
15 Aug Government Tax Profession
'Successful transformation requires cultural change': What's in HMRC's Transformation Roadmap?
SR25: HMRC gets £1.7bn for big increase in compliance and debt management staff
12 Jun Government Tax Profession
SR25: HMRC gets £1.7bn for big increase in compliance and debt management staff
Tributes paid after DECC’s former science chief David MacKay dies at 48
15 Apr 2016 Government Tax Profession
Tributes paid after DECC’s former science chief David MacKay dies at 48

Energy secretary Amber Rudd leads tributes as former chief scientific advisor loses battle with stomach cancer
GDS on the hunt for Government as a Platform chief
15 Apr 2016 Government Tax Profession
GDS on the hunt for Government as a Platform chief

New digital hire will head up plan to help departments share common digital platforms and oversee budget "in excess" of £15m a year
Cabinet Office moves Commissioning Academy to self-financing model
15 Apr 2016 Government Tax Profession
Cabinet Office moves Commissioning Academy to self-financing model

Social enterprise takes over reins of public sector development programme as government ends centrally-funded support
HMRC “has no clear strategy for dealing with tax fraud” – Public Accounts Committee
15 Apr 2016 Government Tax Profession
HMRC “has no clear strategy for dealing with tax fraud” – Public Accounts Committee

MPs demand tax agency improves “woefully inadequate” prosecutions record and says it should publish more straightforward details on the effectiveness of its work. But HMRC says it has been "relentless and strategic" in pursuing those who fail to pay their "fair share"
Justice system's digital platforms 'still not talking to each other'
15 Apr 2016 Government Tax Profession
Justice system's digital platforms "still not talking to each other"

Criminal Justice Joint Inspection report highlights "significant progress" needed on digital overhaul of the justice system – with continued manual entry and lack of join-up
MPs back Peter Riddell's bid to become public appointments commissioner – with caveats
14 Apr 2016 Government Tax Profession
MPs back Peter Riddell's bid to become public appointments commissioner – with caveats

MPs give qualified backing to Peter Riddell as new watchdog overseeing top public sector appointment – but say they will keep an eye on danger of "politicisation" in the wake of planned shake-up of the role
Land Registry privatisation plan based on 'flawed' staffing assumptions – PCS
14 Apr 2016 Government Tax Profession
Land Registry privatisation plan based on "flawed" staffing assumptions – PCS

Civil service union PCS argues latest proposals do not take account of Land Registry's digital progress and could lead to a reduced capacity for statutory work
Performance management may be discriminating against BME, disabled and part-time civil servants, warns Prospect
14 Apr 2016 Government Tax Profession
Performance management may be discriminating against BME, disabled and part-time civil servants, warns Prospect

Union analysis of Cabinet Office data on more than 280,000 officials highlights "statistically significant" differences in how different groups are treated
Ex-Treasury chief Sir Nick Macpherson takes swipe at Iain Duncan Smith over resignation
14 Apr 2016 Government Tax Profession
Ex-Treasury chief Sir Nick Macpherson takes swipe at Iain Duncan Smith over resignation

Macpherson says IDS's resignation over Personal Independence Payments was an "interesting, postmodern" decision
NAO: DECC's flagship Green Deal lacked targets, wasn't tested and didn't take evidence into account
14 Apr 2016 Government Tax Profession
NAO: DECC's flagship Green Deal lacked targets, wasn't tested and didn't take evidence into account

National Audit Office (NAO) report finds that each loan given out under the Department of Energy and Climate Change's Green Deal cost government £17,000, and flags poor use of evidence and testing when the scheme was designed 
Open data not enough to ensure evidence-based policy, says new research
13 Apr 2016 Government Tax Profession
Open data not enough to ensure evidence-based policy, says new research

Alliance for Useful Evidence project says incentives will be needed to ensure policy takes account of evidence
Grimstone Review of Public Appointments: what are the key concerns?
13 Apr 2016 Government Tax Profession
Grimstone Review of Public Appointments: what are the key concerns?

Plans to change the way key public sector jobs are filled have drawn criticism from the former public appointments watchdog Sir David Normington, who is concerned they hand too much power to ministers. So what are the key concerns and how has the government responded?