Economics

Transport department has improved its ability to let rail franchises, MPs say, but still lacks the capability to manage them, and does not have a “coherent strategic vision” for the rail system

HMRC chief executive Dame Lin Homer has told members of the Public Accounts Committee that civil servants should be proud of progress in tackling tax avoidance on the part of large companies

90% of business department's sites to close under BIS 2020 programme, says Sajid Javid, as Martin Donnelly calls decision to shut Sheffield office "one of the most difficult" of his career

Former Cabinet Office minister leaving trade post "pretty soon" to take on private sector and not-for-profit roles

Institute for Fiscal Studies warns that “very inflexible” fiscal target could "come at a cost", while rising demand for services and public sector employment costs will make implementing cuts harder

The anticipated decision to give Amazon director Douglas Gurr a non-executive role at the Department for Work and Pensions has been attacked because of the firm’s tax record

MPs say they are “disappointed” by lack of clarity over progress on welfare reforms

Productivity plan "must avoiding collecting dust on Whitehall bookshelves" by including concrete measures of success, BIS committee says

Chief secretary to the Treasury Greg Hands says his department’s five-strand programme – designed to put finance at the heart of government decision-making – is on course and delivering results

FDA general secretary Dave Penman says HMRC staff should not be blamed for internet giant Google’s controversial tax deal

New research shows Whitehall departments are good at sharing data with each other, but openness with the wider public sector is more of a challenge

HMRC's Jim Harra says critics of deal with Google are misunderstanding corporation tax rules – but Labour's John McDonnell renews attack on "very poor deal"

FDA and Prospect urge the Senior Salaries Review Body to back a front-loaded 4% payrise and warn of "divisive" attempts to boost the pay of only a limited number of specialists

Treasury Committee to review HMRC's approach to tax avoidance and consider whether overhaul of corporation tax is needed amid row over deal with search giant Google

Chief executive of the Infrastructure and Projects Watchdog seeks to reassure MPs after merger with Treasury unit – and John Manzoni says new organisation will have more "teeth"

New report by the National Audit Office spending watchdog finds that while departmental spending on consultants and temporary staff has plummeted over last five years, latest figures indicate a “short-term reduction rather than a sustainable strategy”

Institute for Government analysis of People Survey data shows "strong and improving" trajectory for fostering an ideas culture

National Audit Office raises concerns over the number of transformation projects government is undertaking, as report notes that over a third of major projects due to be delivered this Parliament may be unachievable

The Met Office's first home-grown chief executive talks to Jess Bowie about leading the award-winning organisation, grappling with the effects of public sector pay restraint​, and his concerns over the BBC's decision not to renew its contract with the national weather service

Chancellor George Osborne pays tribute to "one of the outstanding public servants of his generation" as Macpherson announces his departure from the civil service

Treasury says "one-off" factors to blame for higher-than-forecast public borrowing

Furious online reaction to Spending Review blog prompts response by cabinet secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood and civil service chief executive John Manzoni – with the pair emphasising areas where civil service is more flexible than the private sector

Civil service chief executive John Manzoni says government "making good" on promise to open up public sector procurement to smaller firms

Report by former deputy governor of the Bank of England says 90% of ONS staff were “unwilling to move” out of London, leading to a “loss of knowledge and experience”