Government Tax Profession

Cabinet Office minister Matt Hancock sets up a new group to help departments to become "intelligent consumers of their own data" – and promises lunchtime coding groups for civil servants. Audience members at the Open Data Institute meanwhile quiz him on the privatisation of the Postcode Address File

Public Accounts Committee criticises HMRC over customer service, compliance and tackling aggressive tax planning – while HMRC says MPs have "overlooked" its achievements

Tech industry group says some initiatives designed to open up markets are poorly understood, but Crown Commercial Service chief Sally Collier insists Whitehall is "changing the way it does business" with smaller firms

Chatham House urges protection of FCO – while officials reportedly say they are "confident" of a good outcome at the Spending Review

Police and Crime Commissioners write to ministers over new funding formula – but Home Office says changes will improve "complex, opaque and out of date" system

Former Cabinet Office perm sec joins top Department for Education official Chris Wormald at hearing on the charity's collapse – and reveals he considered earlier ministerial direction over grant to the organisation

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

Report by Business in the Community says Social Value Act has had some impact in improving lot of low-paid staff – but backs tougher approach with agencies

National Audit Office asked by MPs to check whether Spending Review cuts are taking account of the environment

Special report: Extensive cross-government survey finds broad range of views on the FOI act – with calls for more central support in dealing with requests and just over 50% of officials in favour of introducing charges

Public Accounts Committee says it is surprised DfE "did not take a stronger leadership role" in support for care leavers amid "disappointing service provision"

Equalities and Human Rights Commission warns that gaps in public data are leaving marginalised groups – including transgender people, gypsies and travellers, and bullied children – under the radar

Top official at the business department says plan to subsidise apprenticeship wages could set an "unhelpful precedent" – and seeks the fourth ministerial direction of the parliament

Shaun Kingsbury tells the Environmental Audit Committee that time is right to hand coalition-era bank to the private sector – but E3G warns against “rushed privatisation”

Report by the National Audit Office spending watchdog finds that charity received £46m of public funding over 15 years

Senior Tory backbencher joins former Treasury solicitor Sir Paul Jenkins in questioning removal of reference to international law

DWP perm sec heaps praise on the department's operations team for finding efficiencies, while acknowledging staff can't "just pedal faster forever"

Analysis: What does the tax credits defeat in the House of Lords mean for the government's legislative programme – and are civil servants ready for the fallout?

Public Accounts Committee calls for greater focus on preventing over- and underpayments

DVSA in the market for new in-house digital staff after similar move by the DVLA to bring IT back home

Ministers vow to "sort out the relationship between the Commons and the Lords" after government forced into tax credits rethink

Labour asks the NAO to look into Just Solutions International

Dods Research finds LSE best-perceived among officials, while some civil servants call for better access to academic studies

Minister for the Cabinet Office Matt Hancock says reforming public servants who are "encumbered by regulatory barriers" need to speak out