HR

The Official View: Fiona Mactaggart – a Home Office minister in Tony Blair's government – tells us about gossiping perm secs and why she believes politicians should have a greater say in choosing their officials

PCS and Prospect plan walkouts over pay and terms – while the agency's chief says strike move is "disappointing"

HM Revenue & Customs briefs staff on major downsizing of its estate – CSW has the key details and reaction from unions

Think tank advises greater pay freedom and a focus on recruitment, not training, to support civil service reform

Crown Commercial Service's director of complex transactions to temporarily serve as chief commercial officer

HM Revenue and Customs chief executive says low staff morale is not damaging productivity – but acknowledges more work to do to make officials feel engaged with wider department

LSE Diplomacy Commission warns over lack of joined-up foreign policy strategy – and says Foreign Office must do more to promote "family-friendly" career paths

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

Garry Graham – taking over from Leslie Manasseh at the union for specialists and managers – calls for "cool appraisal" of performance management by ministers

Public Accounts Committee criticises HMRC over customer service, compliance and tackling aggressive tax planning – while HMRC says MPs have "overlooked" its achievements

Tech industry group says some initiatives designed to open up markets are poorly understood, but Crown Commercial Service chief Sally Collier insists Whitehall is "changing the way it does business" with smaller firms

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

Report by Business in the Community says Social Value Act has had some impact in improving lot of low-paid staff – but backs tougher approach with agencies

Special report: Extensive cross-government survey finds broad range of views on the FOI act – with calls for more central support in dealing with requests and just over 50% of officials in favour of introducing charges

Civil service chief executive John Manzoni says move will help Whitehall become "more talented, diverse and effective"

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

Four ex-Government Digital Service staff join their old boss at the Co-op

Exclusive: Committee chair tells CSW inclusion of the word "instructions" gives "new potential for conflict" between Spads and permanent officials – but minister says changes will help departments become more "orderly and organised"

Chief inspector says some apprenticeships have been "devalued" by push to make them more widely available

DCMS perm sec Sue Owen says failure to meet new diversity objectives will be made "very public"

Foreign secretary tells the House of Commons that some cleaners contracted to FCO were made redundant because of estate downsizing – and not because they sent him a letter about their pay

General secretaries of the PCS and FDA unions renew their call for a rethink on civil service pay after cabinet secretary tells CSW officials are "realistic" about the need to cut the deficit

Civil servants not facing "doom and gloom" cabinet secretary tells CSW, as he hails "fantastic results” in spite of austerity

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