Policy

Former head of the civil service drafts in TUC chief Frances O'Grady and ex-KPMG deputy Alan Buckle to assess whether the Treasury is "fit for purpose"

Institute for Fiscal Studies says talk of "end to austerity" is premature

Chancellor eyes more austerity in first interview since yesterday’s cuts announcements – while the IFS says departmental settlement is "very, very tight"

Fees may create "perverse incentives", justice select committee warns

Latest Whitehall Monitor from the Institute for Government says government must not take quality of open data for granted – and says new chief data officer will need "sufficient political and institutional clout" to make the issue a priority

Information Commissioner's Office tells the Burns review of Freedom of Information that charges – backed by officials in a recent CSW survey – would have a "deterrent effect" and could create more work for departments

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

With science and research spending already below the OECD average, new report by the Science and Technology Committee calls on the Treasury to "safeguard both the quality and the productivity of our science base"

Chatham House urges protection of FCO – while officials reportedly say they are "confident" of a good outcome at the Spending Review

Police and Crime Commissioners write to ministers over new funding formula – but Home Office says changes will improve "complex, opaque and out of date" system

National Audit Office asked by MPs to check whether Spending Review cuts are taking account of the environment

Equalities and Human Rights Commission warns that gaps in public data are leaving marginalised groups – including transgender people, gypsies and travellers, and bullied children – under the radar

Top official at the business department says plan to subsidise apprenticeship wages could set an "unhelpful precedent" – and seeks the fourth ministerial direction of the parliament

Senior Tory backbencher joins former Treasury solicitor Sir Paul Jenkins in questioning removal of reference to international law

DWP perm sec heaps praise on the department's operations team for finding efficiencies, while acknowledging staff can't "just pedal faster forever"

Analysis: What does the tax credits defeat in the House of Lords mean for the government's legislative programme – and are civil servants ready for the fallout?

Dods Research finds LSE best-perceived among officials, while some civil servants call for better access to academic studies

New diagnostic tool from the Institute for Government aims to help officials assess viability of public service markets

Institute for Government finds it is "much harder than it should be" to establish evidence base for public policymaking – and launches new tool to help officials

Diplomatic source says “more likely” move to curb benefits will result in restrictions lasting “months rather than years”

More say over Assembly procedures, energy and transport promised in Draft Wales Bill

Cabinet Office minister Matt Hancock releases figures showing GDS exits since May represent 2% of its workforce – while Labour warns of "haemorrhaging" of digital talent

EVEL plans should be "piloted on statutory instruments"; pension freedoms could be putting savers at risk – the latest from the House of Commons select committees