The outgoing Commissioner for Public Appointments Sir David Normington warns that proposals to change the way ministers make appointments to top public posts would represent a step in the wrong direction — and could undermine progress in making sure jobs are awarded on merit
Committee chair Bernard Jenkin warns cabinet secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood that guidance on support for pro-Brexit ministers could leave officials exposed during legal proceedings — but Heywood says withdrawing them "would simply create uncertainty and confusion"
The Times reports that government's legislative programme will now be laid out in May
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"
BT examines the role of IT in the future delivery of justice.
The legal team at the government-owned British Business Bank has brought together public and private sector expertise to create a new organisation with a challenging mandate – to boost lending to thousands of small and medium-sized businesses. Shanika Amarasekara, general counsel for the bank, shares her team's experience
Campaigners argued legal aid changes, ruled unlawful by the Court of Appeal, meant domestic violence victims were being forced to “face their abuser”. The MoJ says it will "carefully consider" the findings
Prime minister unveils moves to scrap declaration of criminal convictions in initial application stage - as Whitehall's new chief people officer Rupert McNeil stresses that safety checks will remain in place
Prison performance will be subject to greater transparency, David Cameron set to say, while governors will be handed greater control over the education of inmates
Minister says longstanding errors with online documents could have affected 2,200 divorce settlements
With the end of 2015 in sight, we asked Whitehall's top officials to review the year, set out their priorities for 2016 – and shed some light on their festive plans. Rowena Collins Rice, director-general of the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), takes part in our biggest-ever perm secs' round-up series...