News

Businesses have voiced broad support in a number of areas for the principle of European Union membership, according to a set of surveys released by the government.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) could provide call centre, printing and mailing services across government, according to a review of the agency conducted by transport department non-executive director Mary Reilly.

Departments should be allocated funding according to the degree to which they boost the nation’s wellbeing, according to Lord O’Donnell, former cabinet secretary and head of the civil service – who led a recent report into the topic.

The transport department (DfT) is setting up a new Rail Executive unit, with greater pay flexibilities, to tackle capability and recruitment problems, CSW has learned.

The government is ignoring the digital needs of both the most vulnerable people in society and frontline civil servants, according to Chi Onwurah, a Labour shadow Cabinet Office minister.

Changes to improve support for whistleblowers in the health sector may not be effective, according to Care Quality Commission board member Kay Sheldon, because officials in the Department of Health (DH) haven’t “really taken responsibility for what happened” to her after she made whistleblowing disclosures in 2011.

A Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) report calling for the abolition of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) will receive a response by Easter, the government has told PASC.

The civil service is suffering from “weak corporate leadership” which is undermining its efforts to achieve cross-departmental savings or plan efficiency work beyond 2015, according to a report published today by the Institute for Government (IfG).

Like our armed forces, the civil service’s battle against waste is split between three commands. Joshua Chambers examines the Institute for Government’s ideas for turning these scattered forces into an effective fighting force

A burrito place that doesn’t have any beans: could anything be more frustrating‽ In fact, the only upside of eating at Adobo in Victoria is that I can utilise the trusty interrobang (‽) in CSW, winning a bet – and, consequently, the ability to eat lunch somewhere nicer next time around.

Sir Paul Jenkins has spent his time as Treasury solicitor creating a shared legal service, and tackling discrimination. As this very unusual barrister retires, he gives Matt Ross his final, divergent verdicts on the progress in both fields

Two departments will pilot new pay rules which give them greater flexibility in spending their pay budget, the Budget announced today.

Sharon White, the Treasury’s DG for public services, has been made its second permanent secretary.

The Lords’ Select Committee on the Inquiries Act 2005 urges the government to set up a specialist unit to handle public inquiries, in a report published this week.

The Commons’ Education Committee is calling on the government to develop a national strategy for care provision in its report on residential children’s homes published yesterday.

Andy Nelson, chief information officer at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), is quitting the civil service after four years in Whitehall. He will stay until the summer to “ensure continuity and an effective hand-over to his successor”, a DWP spokesperson said.

Departments have been given permission to increase pay for senior civil servants by up to 1%, Danny Alexander, chief secretary to the Treasury, announced today.

Security firm G4S has agreed to refund the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) £108.9m, plus VAT, after over-charging the government on contracts to electronically monitor criminals.

The Department for Education (DfE) came under fire last week over claims that trusts running academies are handing contracts to their friends and relatives, or to companies in which they have a financial interest.

The Labour Party has criticised the Department for Education (DfE) for employing “party ideologues” as senior officials.

The Care Quality Commission’s budget shrank to the point where there was “insufficient resource available for us to do the job” of inspecting care, its chief executive has told CSW – but the Department of Health is now providing extra funds to support a new inspection model.

Government contracts should be audited by the National Audit Office (NAO) to improve transparency about public service outsourcing, business organisation the CBI has said.

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