HR

Cabinet Office director of open data and government innovation Paul Maltby named as new director of data

Regulator overseeing civil service recruitment makes four appointments – with strong emphasis on private sector backgrounds

Closing the gender pay gap and improving promotion rates among under-represented groups among first Diversity and Inclusion Objectives for permanent secretaries

Civil service gender champion Melanie Dawes acknowledges past failure on diversity challenge, but says senior civil service committed to tackling “dangers of group think”

Civil service will get smaller, says Cabinet secretary — but number of departments will “probably” stay the same

Cabinet secretary Jeremy Heywood unveils new external diversity advisers

MoJ digital services manager Gavin Bell shares insight into government’s digital challenges as he steps down from role for private sector post

National Audit Office to investigate decision to grant £3m to beleaguered charity after warning from then-Cabinet Office perm sec Richard Heaton

Tim Kelsey to step down as NHS England’s national director for patients and information

Workforce shrinks by 8,000 posts – with GovCos and privatisations accounting for much of the change

Simon McDonald tells MPs it would be "illogical to focus fire on the FCO" in November's Spending Review

When members of the public want to complain about government bodies, it falls to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to investigate. Sarah Aston speaks to the watchdog's newly-appointed non-executive directors Julia Tabreham and Ruth Sawtell about efforts to simplify the system, and change the perception that complaining doesn't make a difference