Government Tax Profession

Keep up with all the action and reaction from the State Opening of Parliament, via the PoliticsHome.com team

Prison shake-up to form centrepiece of government's new legislative agenda as Queen prepares for the State Opening of Parliament

MPs call on Cabinet Office to “re-invigorate” initiatives aimed at increasing the amount of money government spends with small and medium-sized enteprises

Crown Commercial Service to roll out the Open Contracting Data Standard across Whitehall by the autumn, as Cabinet Office acknowledges current contracts info acting as a "barrier to suppliers and businesses"

Independent Commission for Aid Impact says DfID has offered "global policy leadership" in fight against issues including female genital mutilation and child marriage

Treasury's second permanent secretary to set up new organisation bringing together research councils, in bid to support growth and cross-disciplinary research

Ahead of the State Opening of Parliament, think tank says slim Commons majority and tough Spending Review settlements mean government would be wise to focus on key priorities 

Report by MPs on the justice committee warns that prison safety "has deteriorated further and continues to do so"

Former Department for Work and Pensions permanent secretary Leigh Lewis finds that Martin Stanley’s new book How to be a Civil Servant offers a valuable guide, but not quite the whole picture

Just-published guide from the public spending watchdog says government needs sustained effort to bring commercial and contracting work up to scratch

Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union announces one-day strike action of policy officials set to be affected by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills' plan to close its office in Sheffield

New appointments in the civil service, UK politics, and public affairs, via our colleagues on Dods People

Nearly half of senior managers say they cannot work flexibly, according to a survey by the FDA union — despite a range of policies to encourage better work-life balance

Justice secretary Michael Gove says improvement board report highlights “broader problems” with the youth justice system

Union general secretary rounds on plans for another overhaul of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, with planned changes "all the more galling” after 2010's negotiations

General secretary of union for senior civil servants says staff cuts taking a toll on membership numbers — but defends move to extend reach with new Keystone initiative

Interim chief Martin Jones has position made permanent

FDA union calls for civil servants to be paid for all overtime, as survey shows an increase in the number of officials working above their contracted hours

Shadow Cabinet Office minister Louise Haigh tells CSW that government must provide more info on the perm sec appointments process, as final vacant perm sec post is filled by a man

Prime minister David Cameron to set out new process of "open contracting" at anti-corruption summit

Appointment of new leader at the energy department comes after the Competition and Markets Authority called for a "reset" of government's relationship with energy suppliers

Cabinet Office’s Iain Patterson cautions against changing departmental tech for the sake of it, as he sheds more light on ‘Ocean Liner’ review of big government IT contracts

A review of process and structures in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) calls for a “technological overhaul”, stronger leadership of cross-government work overseas, and an end to dependence on email

Government Digital Service chief Stephen Foreshew-Cain tells CSW that officials with digital, data and technology skills could sit outside of the civil service grading system in a bid to attract and retain staff