Leadership

Mismatch between school year used by academies and DfE's own accounting period means parliament cannot properly hold the department to account, says the NAO

Current head of the Economic and Domestic Affairs Secretariat Jonathan Slater heading to the DfE when Chris Wormald moves to Health

Union general secretary sticks up for the Home Office second perm sec after Home Affairs Committee grilling

Theresa May writes to the Home Affairs Committee chair over Border Force budget, after MPs order second permanent secretary Olly Robbins to face a second evidence session

Home Office permanent secretary Mark Sedwill to face second Public Accounts Committee hearing after PAC chair Meg Hillier brands department's disagreement with the National Audit Office a "farce"

Microsoft analyses six common misconceptions about cloud migration

Energy secretary Amber Rudd leads tributes as former chief scientific advisor loses battle with stomach cancer

New digital hire will head up plan to help departments share common digital platforms and oversee budget "in excess" of £15m a year

Social enterprise takes over reins of public sector development programme as government ends centrally-funded support

As the new UK Aid Strategy sets out a bigger role for the rest of Whitehall in spending development money, DfID's permanent secretary Mark Lowcock sits down with Matt Foster to discuss the challenges of working across government – and why his department won’t lose its sense of mission

MPs give qualified backing to Peter Riddell as new watchdog overseeing top public sector appointment – but say they will keep an eye on danger of "politicisation" in the wake of planned shake-up of the role

Microsoft offers its vision for organisations navigating a cloud-first, mobile-first world.

Union analysis of Cabinet Office data on more than 280,000 officials highlights "statistically significant" differences in how different groups are treated

There used to be so many ways of classifying government data it was difficult to ensure data protection. Now there are much clearer rules, argues Microsoft.

Alliance for Useful Evidence project says incentives will be needed to ensure policy takes account of evidence

Home Affairs Committee chair Keith Vaz repeatedly questions Robbins on Border Force funding

Plans to change the way key public sector jobs are filled have drawn criticism from the former public appointments watchdog Sir David Normington, who is concerned they hand too much power to ministers. So what are the key concerns and how has the government responded?

PACAC chair Bernard Jenkin makes the case for greater parliamentary role in choosing appointments watchdogs, as Sir Gerry Grimstone rejects claims that his review gives ministers too much power over top jobs

The former first civil service commissioner Sir David Normington breaks bread with Suzannah Brecknell, and talks about his time regulating top civil service appointments, his four decades in Whitehall – and his concerns over the government's plan for public appointments

Troup faces media scrutiny over role at Simmons & Simmons – as HMRC points out his role "has never involved responsibility for operational activities or direct dealings with companies on their tax affairs"

International Development permanent secretary Mark Lowcock tells CSW that asking other departments to take on aid commitments won't undermine DfID's mission — and says some of his staff have been poached for their expertise

Malcolm McKibbin tells staff 17-month embargo on new hires is over, after around 3,000 staff quit service via Voluntary Exit Scheme

Microsoft looks at how digital technology can improve firefighter safety 

PHSO says Dr Bill Kirkup will lead investigations into most serious and complex cases brought before the public services watchdog