Commercial

PAC chair Meg Hillier accuses the DCLG perm sec of "sophistry" as Melanie Dawes seeks to explain communities department's handling of scheme to free up public land for new homes

Justice secretary stresses that departmental non-execs – designed to sharpen outside scrutiny of Whitehall – are ministerial appointments, after overseeing shake-up of MoJ board

Follow all the action as chancellor George Osborne delivers his latest Budget

"Robespierre terror" of Public Accounts Committee under former chair Margaret Hodge will be copied by more MPs, former health secretary warns officials

Report by the National Audit Office says centre of government must do more to ensure departments make better use of information about outsourced public services, including standardising data and improving Whitehall skills

Government Digital Service chief Mike Bracken says government still on a "journey" in encouraging citizens to opt for online transactions with the state

Business secretary tells MPs that flagship coalition project will be moved out of the public sector to allow it to borrow more and "grow its business"

Cabinet secretary says Civil Service Awards provide rare opportunity for “boasting” about achievements

Report by the NAO says departments have often failed to set out rationale for use of payment-by-results mechanisms

Minister for the Cabinet Office Matt Hancock says new "implementation taskforces" recognise the need for cross-government working, but stresses the need for accountability

Telecoms firms withdraws from key part of the Emergency Services Network bidding process

GDS confirms Digital Services framework will be overhauled after user feedback

With longstanding public accounts committee chair Margaret Hodge announcing that she won't be seeking another five years at the helm of parliament's powerful cross-party spending watchdog, Civil Service World asked the three Labour MPs hoping to succeed her why they want the job, and whether they think the committee's treatment of officials needs to change

New minister for the Cabinet Office Matt Hancock has set out his stall for five more years of civil service reform. Here's our full report on how it unfolded

No headcount changes under chancellor's plan to merge Shareholder Executive (ShEx) and UK Financial Investments (UKFI) into one body overseeing privatisations

PWC partner Charles Lloyd shares his experience of life in Whitehall – and the different style of governments in the Middle East – in a regular Q&A with people who’ve crossed organisational and sectoral boundaries to join a new working world

Tom Read leaves chief technology officer job at the Cabinet Office as CTO brief is rolled into new chief digital officer role

Thirty three companies take the lion’s share of central government procurement spending, between them receiving roughly £10bn of Whitehall money each year. But who are they? Do they truly understand the public sector? And do civil servants trust them? Rebecca Sims-Robinson crunches the numbers.

The National Audit Office finds no evidence that Capita inflated management fees or deliberately delayed payments to suppliers in Civil Service Learning contract, but watchdog does not pass judgement on overall value for money of the scheme. CSW looks at the report's key findings

Cabinet Office says contracts for private firms running public services will include 'presumption in favour of disclosing information' to the public

Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude says £11bn of £20bn annual Whitehall efficiency drive identified, but Labour warns of little room for more 'back office efficiencies' 

MPs on the Public Accounts Committee warn commercial skills gap at Defence Equipment and Support will undermine MoD efforts to reduce costs if not addressed

Government Digital Service to work with local government in major extension of its remit

Amendment to Civil Service Code over contact with the media sparks transparency row with trade unions FDA and PCS, but Cabinet Office says it is providing clarity