9956posts
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A good day in the office: four UK astronauts
Behind the scenes at the recent European Space Agency Council of Ministers - including new UK astronauts!
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World AIDS Day: get tested, get treated
World AIDS Day (1 December) provides an opportunity to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness and show support for those living with HIV.
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National Apprenticeship Awards – could you be a future winner?
Apprenticeships are a brilliant option for people of all ages to launch their careers in a huge range of exciting industries or upskill at various levels and be paid for it. The National Apprenticeship Awards – hosted by Steph McGovern …
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Track our progress: Trade Remedies Authority case milestones – Dec 2022
Subscribe below to receive the latest update on our interactive case tracker, which shows the progress of each of our cases as they go through the investigation lifecycle. This month’s tracker shows progress on our cases during November and the …
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The value of public design
Head of UK Policy Design Community, Andrew Knight, writes about why governments should be design-centred.
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Teaching Vacancies: Putting money back into the classroom
Teaching Vacancies is the free national service for state schools in England to list teaching, leadership, and education support roles. Will Bourke provides an update on the work the team has been doing to reduce the admin and cost burden for trusts when advertising vacancies.
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The Register of Overseas Entities: why the verification process means you should act now
31 January 2023 - the deadline when all overseas entities need to have registered with Companies House - is fast approaching. The new verification process takes time, so it’s critical that overseas entities register as soon as possible.
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Tree Production Innovation Fund: 2022 successful applicants
Megan Shirley is the Forestry Commission's Forest Nurseries & Innovation Grants, Incentives Manager. Here she talks about the successful applicants from the 2022 Tree Production Innovation Funds. To reach our net-zero tree planting commitments, it’s vital that there are a …
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Water company fines to be invested back into the environment
Under new plans, money from water company fines will be invested directly back into environmental and water quality improvement projects.
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Welsh Leeks protection in the media
Today we are looking at our new protection for Welsh Leeks.
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Military training at Penhale Training Area helps restore vital sand dune habitats
I’m a Reservist with the British Army’s 232 Port Squadron, 165 Port and Maritime Regiment Royal Logistic Corps (RLC), and I recently volunteered for the Penhale Dunes Dynamic Dunescape support exercise as I wanted to contribute to a unique …
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When it comes to trade, who decides what’s fair?
As a public body committed to defending the UK from unfair international trade practices, we tackle the question of what counts as fair daily. Let’s examine some of the complexity by looking at a recent trade remedy case involving Argentinian …
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Water crowfoot, or how we learned to love Ranunculus
Ranunculus sounds like a spell from the wizard world of Harry Potter. However, it is a lovely aquatic plant you would see in the UK’s chalk streams. The presence of Ranunculus is usually a benefit, rarely a nuisance. But the …
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Digital by default – the day has arrived
HM Land Registry has hit a major milestone following the publication of our 2022+ Strategy: we are now digital by default. Digital applications are something we’ve been talking about for a while and today our digital and automation ambitions became more of a reality.
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Changes to the COVID-19 dashboard and COVID-19 vaccination surveillance report
The COVID-19 pandemic led to enormous public interest in statistics, with sudden and urgent need to track the virus almost in real time. Whilst this was a big challenge for our statisticians, it led to real innovation in the way …
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How we are improving support for children with SEND
We want all children and young people to have the same opportunity to meet their potential – including children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). That’s why children and young people with SEND are set to …
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RPC response to recommendation in Lords' committee report
Stephen Gibson, Chair of the RPC, today sent a formal response to the recommendation made in the recent report of the House of Lords' Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee.
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Message to the education and care sector on SEND reform from the Secretary of State for Education, Gillian Keegan
I passionately believe no matter where you are from or what stage of life you are at, you should always be able to get a high-quality education and receive the right support in the right place and at the right …
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Chair's stakeholder update - School Food Standards Compliance pilot announced
FSA Chair Professor Susan Jebb shares news on the School Food Standards Compliance pilot which is running across 18 participating local authorities in England.
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How RPA ensures land data is kept up to date
To ensure the land data that Rural Payments Agency (RPA) holds is as up to date as possible, RPA systematically reviews and updates data held on the Rural Land Register each year. Accurate land means we are making accurate payments …
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The value of testing riskiest assumptions
The second of two blog posts about how teams can use riskiest assumptions to focus on learning the things with the most value. It explains when to use it and why it's a valuable method.
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The Civil Service’s digital skills imperative
Megan Lee, Chief Executive of CDDO discusses the findings of Google’s Civil Service Digital Skills Survey alongside the opportunities and challenges that the government faces to attract and retain the best digital talent in a fiercely competitive environment.
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Woods into Management Forestry Innovation Funds: 2022 successful applicants
Jack Clough is the Forestry Commission Grant Manager. Here he talks about the successful applicants from the 2022 Woods Into Management Forestry Innovation Funds. In the UK, it is often thought that woodlands should be left alone. However, much of …
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Field Officers: "The best job in the world!"
With the introduction of a more supportive, partnership-based approach to site visits, moving away from the penalty-based system of inspections under the EU, to farmer-focused visits for schemes such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Countryside Stewardship (CS), Field …
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The HM Land Registry portal redesign
We're launching the first phase of our portal redesign on the day we go digital by default: 30 November. This is the day the Digital Registration Service becomes the default application submission service on the portal and the redesign is a key component in making it easier to submit digital applications.
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Hornit’s story: the SME who used IP to combat the counterfeiters
Wheeling their way into the future, are Hornit - an innovative and creative British business that produces a wide range of cycling products. We spoke to their CEO Tom de Pelet about how Hornit has grown and how intellectual property …
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Daily Express coverage of £20 million funding for woodlands
Today we are looking at media coverage of new Government funding for woodlands.
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Free business advice: latest list of providers
Through the Future Farming Resilience Fund, any farmer or land manager in England who receives BPS (Basic Payment Scheme payments) is eligible to receive free business advice. In this post, I share the latest list of advice providers and explain how to get in touch.
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Innovation, AI, and the art of the possible
Innovation has always excited me as I’m curious about the new and the bold. Taking a leap of faith into the unknown can feel uncomfortable, but it’s great when that turns into something valuable. At a recent GovTech conference I …
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Analyse this
Osama Rahman, Director of the Data Science Campus, talks about the importance of developing analysis skills for all, and involving analysts in all we do. Everyone in government needs to be supported to make informed decisions so that policy and …
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Designing for people with dyscalculia and low numeracy
We often forget that some people struggle with numbers, which can make our services really hard to use. But, there are things you can do to make your services more accessible.
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What you need to know before applying for the Local Authority Treescapes Fund and the Urban Tree Challenge Fund
Due to launch again in early 2023, both the Local Authority Treescapes Fund (LATF) and the Urban Tree Challenge Fund (UTCF) are key components of the Government’s £750m Nature for Climate Fund.
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Times coverage of bathing water pollution inspections
Today we are looking at coverage in the Times of the Environment Agency’s inspections of bathing water pollution incidents.
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Boost for UK fishing industry with new infrastructure projects
There has been a widespread of coverage across the UK following our announcement that £20 million of funding has been awarded to winning seafood projects.
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New scheme to protect our waterways from pollution and enable home building set to launch
by Mike Burke, Programme Director – Sustainable Development The Dasgupta review has shown that nature underpins everything we do, and investing in nature generates prosperity. Leonardo Da Vinci said that “water is the driving force of all nature”, and no society …
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Curzon's comeuppance
Professor Jonathan Conlin of The Lausanne Project explains how that "most superior person" (as he was described by contemporaries at Oxford) met his match at Lausanne 100 years ago. Of all the treaties negotiated in the wake of World War 1, …
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Windrush Compensation Scheme factsheet – October 2022
Windrush Compensation Scheme factsheet – October 2022 We are determined to put right the terrible injustices faced by some people from the Windrush generation and the wider Commonwealth, which happened under successive governments. To help right those wrongs, the Home Office has …
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Improving the early years registration process
This blog refers to a pilot that has since ended. Being a right-touch regulator is one of our new strategic priorities. This means ensuring that our regulation promotes high-quality care, education, and safeguarding for children, while being proportionate in our …
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IAIR Annual Conference: insight from the Insolvency Service
In this blog, our senior leaders share their thoughts and reflections after attending the IAIR’s Annual Conference and AGM.
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MOD prove there is no escaping Cyber Awareness Month in 2022
In an increasingly digital world, the threat posed by hostile actors is greater than ever. It is therefore crucial that everyone, no matter their role or seniority, takes cyber accountability. But as the threat grows, so too does the risk …