Government Tax Profession

All Atos contracts worth more than £10m now under review after public accounts committee said the outsourcing firm had "acted solely with its own short term best interests in mind" on GP data service

Public Accounts Committee points the finger at frequent leadership changes in its report on the Home Office's long-running border data troubles

Former PAC chair Margaret Hodge questions whether ministerial accountability system is fit for purpose and warns MPs are more interested in new policies than scrutinising spending. But her warnings over civil service capability are challenged by a senior Ministry of Defence offficial

“Where we’re developing premium data, we’re trying to release some elements of open data at the same time," says OS’s public sector director John Kimmance

General secretary of the biggest civil service union says Labour leader has "fired the imagination"

Treasury committee chair Andrew Tryie warns of "lack of detailed explanation" of how HMRC's Making Tax Digital plans will play out

Iconic Whitehall building sold as part of MoD plans to make estate savings. Department says it will be "sympathetically restored, redeveloped and re-imagined as a high quality hotel and residential apartments"

“I love disruptive procurement,” says CCS’s commercial delivery director

New Scottish agency will take on running of some payments from the DWP and will be “directly accountable” to Scottish ministers

“We're at the start of the government platform,” GDS executive director tells the Public Sector ICT Summit 

Prime minister has reportedly delayed unveiling of legislative year ahead to allow focus on European Union vote

MPs urge the Government Digital Service to provide more support if it wants departments to embrace digital innovation, after report finds that focus on 'digital by default' hindered delivery of new rural payments scheme

Burns Commission on Freedom of Information sides against charges for FOI requests, but calls for greater clarity on protecting policy-making

Public pending watchdog finds delays in the justice system because of “basic avoidable mistakes” and says reform alone will not tackle all “causes of inefficiency"

Cabinet Office-commissioned review of FOI rejects charging for requests, as minister Matt Hancock says government will "not make any legal changes" to the transparency act

Consultation outlines proposals to let government share data to improve services, reduce fraud, and create timely research and statistics

Treasury perm sec Nick Macpherson says incoming HMRC chief exec Thompson will focus on "spending the money", while executive chair Edward Troup will oversee "strategic, policy and reputational leadership" of the tax authority

Interviews for the top Treasury job get going this week – as Macpherson jokes process could "go into a black hole for many months"

Senior Tory says Treasury should take the lead on official stats as Cabinet Office and UK Statistics Authority "have been asleep at the wheel"

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

"There are always ways to make government better, always ways to make sure that the taxes of people are better spent," says chancellor, against gloomy global economic backdrop

Pacac says government spends “considerable amounts of money” producing accounts even thought it "not clear that they are of any use to select committees, or to the public"

Cabinet office minister Matt Hancock says the ONS - which moved out of London in the mid-2000s - will stay in Newport to to act as a "big data hub" in the region