HR

Cabinet Office director of open data and government innovation Paul Maltby named as new director of data

Regulator overseeing civil service recruitment makes four appointments – with strong emphasis on private sector backgrounds

Closing the gender pay gap and improving promotion rates among under-represented groups among first Diversity and Inclusion Objectives for permanent secretaries

Civil service gender champion Melanie Dawes acknowledges past failure on diversity challenge, but says senior civil service committed to tackling “dangers of group think”

Civil service will get smaller, says Cabinet secretary — but number of departments will “probably” stay the same

Cabinet secretary Jeremy Heywood unveils new external diversity advisers

MoJ digital services manager Gavin Bell shares insight into government’s digital challenges as he steps down from role for private sector post

National Audit Office to investigate decision to grant £3m to beleaguered charity after warning from then-Cabinet Office perm sec Richard Heaton

Tim Kelsey to step down as NHS England’s national director for patients and information

Workforce shrinks by 8,000 posts – with GovCos and privatisations accounting for much of the change

Simon McDonald tells MPs it would be "illogical to focus fire on the FCO" in November's Spending Review

When members of the public want to complain about government bodies, it falls to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to investigate. Sarah Aston speaks to the watchdog's newly-appointed non-executive directors Julia Tabreham and Ruth Sawtell about efforts to simplify the system, and change the perception that complaining doesn't make a difference

PCS and Prospect members at the Natural Environment Research Council take half-day action over 1% cap and progression pay move

Lord Macdonald tells File on 4 that policy and legal advice functions will “suffer” amid squeeze on resources – but current director of public prosecutions Alison Saunders praises "dedicated" staff

Trade Union Bill easily clears latest hurdle in the Commons, as TUC warns of impact on “productivity, pay and demand”

The official view: Clare Short spent six years as Tony Blair's international development secretary. Here she tells us about motivating officials, how her private secretary snuck her into a global trade conference, and why the civil service must pay "fair wages" to its staff

Culture secretary tells MPs budget cuts will lead to “difficult decisions” for DCMS but department not in “any danger” of disappearing 

Current deputy director for innovation at the Intellectual Property Office, Ceri Witchard, to oversee community interest companies

Chief operating officer at Standard Chartered Bank to succeed David Godfrey as new chief executive of UK Export Finance 

The Official View: Former communities minister Bob Neill on the strengths and weaknesses of the civil service

New report shows rise in successful applications to graduate scheme from black and minority ethnic candidates, but slight dip in proportion of women accepted onto the programme

Treasury minister Greg Hands tells pay review bodies to target higher rises in areas which would improve recruitment and retention

Recruitment drive for job centre staff on temporary contracts slammed by PCS in the wake of departures of permanent staff

Successful bidders for government contracts will see agreed commitments to apprentice recruitment written into contracts above £10m from next month