7694posts
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Fisheries catch limits agreed and licencing discussions conclude
UK secures £190m worth of fishing opportunities for fishing industry
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Improving the governance of taxonomies for UK government data
The Office for National Statistics’ Classifications Team in partnership with the Data Standards Authority (DSA) have created a Taxonomy Oversight Group (TOG), which is made up of a community of cross-government and public sector experts to address the lack of …
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A Christmas message from FSA Chair Susan Jebb and CEO Emily Miles
Warm greetings to you from us, the FSA Board, and all our colleagues at the FSA.
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The new round of Countryside Stewardship Facilitation Fund opens today
We’re pleased to announce that the latest round of the Countryside Stewardship Facilitation Fund has opened today for applications. The fund helps groups of farmers and landowners in England work together to deliver environmental benefits for their local area. By …
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How a passion for sustainability put me on the world stage
In the run up to COP26 GAD actuary Sara Ronayne was seconded to support HM Treasury's Private Finance Hub. In this blog she shares her experiences and reflections.
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Updating the GOV.UK homepage
We’ve made design changes to the GOV.UK homepage to improve its accessibility and make it a better user experience for the millions of people that visit it every week.
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Not so equal: Is excluding au pairs from the minimum wage still the right thing to do?
This year, the Low Pay Commission was asked to investigate the use of the ‘domestic worker exemption’. Our full response to this is included in our 2021 report, published last week. This exemption, which we have now recommended removing, was …
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Our plan to green up the government estate
What will your future office look like? Although we can’t promise virtual reality meeting rooms and holographic colleagues just yet, we’re making great strides in our quest for a Net Zero government estate. Like every major employer, with offices and …
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2021: A year in NHSX service assessments
In 2021, the NHSX assurance team ran 31 assessment activities. Read more about our assessments and improvements to our service assessment process.
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Podcast – Think digital, act human: the Get help with technology service
How did the critical Get help with technology service come about? Rachel Hope, Deputy director for Teacher services, and Shaf Gunton, Programme delivery manager, talk to Adaobi Ifeachor about the complexities and obstacles they faced and what's next for this essential service.
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What social care reform could and should mean for people with dementia
Social care is vital for people with dementia. Alzheimer’s Society has been calling for social care reform for a long time and welcomed the opportunity to participate in two South West roundtable events, arranged by the Department of Health and Social Care, to discuss what they and other care sector organisations want to see from this process.
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How schools are managing attendance effectively
Schools across the country have developed a range of approaches to support regular attendance amongst their pupils and drive down rates of persistent absence. In this blog post, schools who have had success in increasing attendance rates share what works for them.
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Introducing our new MyScience Videos
The Government Science & Engineering (GSE) Profession are proud to launch our new four-part video series entitled MyScience. The MyScience videos highlight the variety of science and engineering skills, the diverse roles in government, and the highlights of our members. We believe it is important to show the …
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Veterans get record £3.3m from charity
A charity has defied the Covid slump to award a record £3.3million in grants to British veterans in need, according to its latest annual figures. The Veterans’ Foundation (VF), a registered charity based in Edinburgh, helped more than 130 …
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Rescon 4.0: user research conference
The 4th Annual ResCon (user research conference) was held on 12 and 13 October this year. Over 100 professional user researchers came together virtually to hear from a number of external speakers. Making Reconnections This year’s theme for the …
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Global reflections on international inspection transformation: ICMRA remote inspections
A link to the newly published ICMRA paper, which provides a valuable insight into how global regulators have managed regulatory oversight, inspections and assessments during the pandemic to support both the COVID-19 response, and also ‘business as usual’ GMP and GCP inspections.
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Unlocking the value of location data
Location data is a fundamental part of our lives. So why do so many struggle to value it and what is the Geospatial Commission doing to resolve this challenge?
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Swans and flamingos
Climate change is at the fore of sustainable finance which can be thought of as the integration of environmental, social and governance factors into lending and investment. This blog investigates the challenges around these issues.
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Severn Trent Water fined £1.5m for sewage discharges
Today’s blog looks at coverage of the Environment Agency’s prosecution of Severn Trent Water for illegal sewage discharges
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How apprenticeships inspire great opportunities
The Civil Service recognises the value of apprenticeships to nurture talent and help new recruits get started. Below, three apprentices from disadvantaged backgrounds tell how their apprenticeships in different industries opened new doors. Jack’s Story Jack Tennant from Knottingley, West …
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Fly-tipping annual statistics in England
Today we are looking at media coverage of Defra’s 2020/21 fly-tipping statistics.
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Modernising lasting powers of attorney consultation – what happens next?
The Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) consultation on modernising lasting powers of attorney closed on 13 October 2021, after being open for public response for 12 weeks. Over 300 responses were received through the online hub, direct via email and through …
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What does Covid Plan B mean for schools, colleges, universities and early years?
Yesterday, the Prime Minister announced the implementation of Plan B of the COVID-19 Response: Autumn and Winter Plan, as a result of increasing pressure on the NHS. We have already increased safety measures across education settings and we set these measure out in a previous post on 28 November …
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Podcast: New jobs at Companies House
Colleagues from our People Transformation and Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) directorates discuss current job opportunities and what it’s like to work for Companies House.
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Start preparing for your Rural Payments applications and claims
In February 2022 applications will open for new Countryside Stewardship agreements, and from March 2022 you will be able to apply for Basic Payment Scheme 2022 and to submit Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship revenue claims. To make sure that …
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COVID-19 vaccination programme: development, distribution, data
The COVID-19 vaccination programme relies on many teams, individuals and organisations, from the scientists who developed the vaccines through to the volunteers who have signed up to support the programme and the NHS staff on the front line. The success …
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Teenagers and testing fatigue, 4 top tips to keep your students testing
Keeping students engaged in regular COVID-19 testing can be challenging. We invited schools and colleges with high numbers of students testing and reporting results to share their ideas on how to keep students testing.
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Top 10 kitchen hygiene hacks for students
If you feel you need to up your food hygiene game, then follow these hacks and avoid food poisoning when at university.
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Improving national infrastructure planning, one sprint at a time!
Head of operations Simone Wilding explains why passing the government service standard is good news for the Inspectorate’s applications service, and shares early previews of it in action
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Investigating Omicron: what UKHSA is doing now
Last month, a new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 infection named Omicron was identified and countries around the world are taking action to identify cases and outbreaks and control the spread while we learn more. All viruses naturally …
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Guest post: how APIs kept our country running when everything stopped
Melissa van der Hecht, a Field CTO at Kong, talks about how working alongside our Integration team, API-driven outcomes have made a real difference for UK citizens.
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Curriculum: keeping it simple
Despite the challenges of the last two years, staff are reviewing and renewing their curriculums. Subject leaders are working closely with teachers to shape a clear journey of the knowledge they want pupils to know.
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GDS is 10: we’re ready for our next chapter
The Government Digital Service (GDS) is turning 10. Watch as team members share - in 10 seconds or less - what excites them most about what’s coming next.
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How DfE helped learners access education. Period.
When the government launched a state scheme providing free period products in English schools and colleges, it not only helped tackle period poverty, but broke the stigma and raised awareness about menstruation. In January 2020, the Department for Education launched a …
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Join us to co-create the future
Meet some of the team members who are working to make it simpler, faster and fairer to find and apply for government grants.
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Enabling trustworthy innovation by assuring AI systems
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers huge potential to transform our society and economy. It has been harnessed to combat the pandemic; from supporting the discovery of new therapies and rapid virus detection methods, to powering dashboards that help clinicians make treatment …
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Broadwater Brook urban chalk stream restoration
In today’s blog we look at how the Environment Agency helped to restore 1km of urban chalk stream in West Sussex. By Gareth Williams, Environment Programme manager Solent and South Downs In order to restore one chalk stream in …
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Becoming an Academic Mentor: making a difference to pupils’ education most impacted by the pandemic
Suzanne Jones is currently an Academic Mentor at Thorpedene Primary School in Essex as part of the National Tutoring Programme. She discusses what motivated her to become an Academic Mentor and what the role entails. When I found out about …
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Swiss underground rock laboratory turns 25
RWM’s Principal Geoscience Manager Sally Thompson and Stakeholder Engagement Manager Jane Cantwell visited Switzerland’s Mont Terri underground rock laboratory to join international colleagues in marking the 25th anniversary of this pioneering facility for research into geological disposal.
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An update on payments for our land schemes
December is an important time of the year for farming communities and the Agency. We started to release payments on our land schemes (Basic Payment Scheme, Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship) annual claims from 1 December. This represents the culmination …