Government Tax Profession

Cabinet Office's Warren Smith wants service to become the first port of call for procurement

Canadian privacy commissioner who has been arguing for a “duty to record” named as preferred candidate to replace Christopher Graham

MPs have criticised a culture of “defensive communication and misinformation” at HS2

Government's preferred candidate to succeed Sir David Normington as Commissioner for Public Appointments says revamped process for filling top public jobs will not result in ministers "just being able to get who they want"

International Development Committee gives broad backing to UK's new aid strategy – but warns DfID not to lose sight of poverty focus as other departments take on responsibility for spending development assistance funds

New appointments in the civil service, UK politics, and public affairs, via our colleagues on Dods People

Prime minister attempts to get back on the political front foot after departure of long-serving work and pensions secretary highlights gap between Treasury and the DWP

Bath and North East Somerset Council's Jo Farrar set to join Department for Communities and Local Government's senior management team

New data science projects given the go-ahead in this week’s Budget will give the nation richer and more precise economic figures, the Office for National Statistics has said

PAC report casts doubt on ability of beefed-up major projects watchdog to scrutinise government’s biggest schemes, and calls on Cabinet Office to explain how it will meet skills shortages needed for "transformation"

Outgoing director of the Institute for Government think tank due to take over from Sir David Normington at watchdog ensuring ministers fill top public jobs on merit

Review says Department for Transport must do more to shape the future development of the nation's rail infrastructure

Central London "a very expensive place to employ people", says MoJ perm sec Richard Heaton – but he says core departmental officials unlikely to move to support devolution of justice powers to Manchester

Proposals to make local government financially self-sufficient by 2020 must not be impacted by George Osborne's business-boosting measures, a lobby group has warned

Budget pledges a further £71m investment in HMRC's frontline operations "to improve the service it provides taxpayers".

FDA union chief Dave Penman says pensions move will make make budget cuts "significantly worse” than the chancellor's headline announcements

Budget document emphasises plan to "move civil servants out of expensive Whitehall accommodation", with Ministry of Justice looking to set up "centres of expertise outside the capital"

 "Departmental efficiency review" will "help deliver a further £3.5 billion of savings from public spending" in 2019-20, says George Osborne

Suzannah Brecknell crunches the latest Office for National Statistics figures on public sector employment

CCS chief Collier says independence of exams watchdog Ofqual "one of the attractions" of taking on chief regulator role – and says procurement background no barrier to doing the job

"The obvious efficiency savings have come through in the early period," says former head of the civil service – as chancellor prepares to outline £4bn of further spending cuts

Former Times health editor on the move to BIS

“Acute hospital trusts are at crisis point,” warns PAC chair Meg Hillier

"We take all allegations of impropriety extremely seriously," says justice minister Andrew Selous