GOV.UK blogs

Coronavirus: recovering in our courts and tribunals

Susan sets out the steps being taken by HMCTS in shifting focus from the emergency response to one of operational recovery in our courts and tribunals.

Scottish business, SnapDragon win Queen's Award for Innovation

SnapDragon Monitoring fights fakes online. We identify and remove infringing products from online marketplaces, social media sites, and websites. We use intellectual property (IP) to remove the fakes and the fakers - which is cheap, quick and efficient. Gone are …

Introducing the GOV.UK Data Labs

The digital world is rapidly changing, and with it, GOV.UK users' expectations of how they should be interacting with our services and information. Data Labs is a newly formed multi-disciplinary team, passionate about using data in innovative ways to fulfil our users' needs and expectations.

New health and wellbeing guidance reminds us all to take care

Over a month ago, our Joint Chief Social Workers for Adults, Fran Leddra and Mark Harvey, used their Social Work With Adults blog to highlight the importance of maintaining human connections during the coronavirus pandemic.

It remains important for the care and support workforce - as well as NHS colleagues and our communities - to foster resilience in the midst of these challenges. The publication of new health and wellbeing guidance for care and support professionals is therefore hugely welcome at this time, as they explain...

Fighting ash dieback and protecting the future of our woodlands

We have at least 3 million ash trees across the MOD estate, so managing the tree disease ash dieback is a significant objective of our sustainable woodland management and long-term forest planning. Read on to find out more.

New online booking system for training facilities will make life easier for our Armed Forces

A Bidding and Allocation Management System (BAMS Online) went live across the Defence Training Estate this summer. It is a new online booking service for our Armed Forces.

Home Office in the media: Thursday 5 September

Today's leading stories include the launch of a national campaign to recruit 20,000 police officers, an announcement on future immigration and a High Court ruling on facial recognition. Police recruitment The launch of the campaign to recruit 20,000 additional police …

Telegraph: The Environment Secretary on government reforms to boost recycling

A look into The Telegraph's ‘Zero Waste’ campaign.

What is understood by 'deletion of a non-significant parameter'?

The Variation Classification guidelines list approximately 350 different types of variation change codes and classification sub-categories. These variations fall under three possible procedure types: TIA, TIB or TII and cover the active substance and finished product, devices and safety, efficacy, …

Ageing and health expenditure

Does an ageing population lead to higher costs for the NHS and social care? Find out why this is not necessarily a foregone conclusion.

Help us start a data revolution for government

We want to start a data revolution focusing on service delivery and improving human experience. Find out what we think government needs to do and how you can help.

Biodiversity net gain matters

Guest blog from Nicola Thomas, Partnership Manager at Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Natural Environment Partnership writes a guest blog on net biodiversity gain.

The Commission on incivility and extremism

Since the Commission for Countering Extremism came into existence in March this year, we have visited 13 towns and cities across England and Wales. Many of our meetings have been with frontline counter-extremists, community groups and local politicians. Almost all …

Health Product People: designing and delivering better health and care digital services

The Health Product People community was started in January 2018 to bring together people working on digital services across the health and care space to share ideas, collaborate and work together to solve problems. The Health Product People community builds …

A professionals' perspective on the deputy online reporting service

Amy Feetham, accounts paralegal at law firm Irwin Mitchell, discusses her experience of using our online deputy reporting service. Irwin Mitchell was the first professional organisation to use the deputy online reporting service which launched in spring 2018.

Teaching computers to read

...put HALF a Mini car at top of the 'Nuneaton nipple' - but why?” Coventry Live “Drivers are angry at queues of 'more than two hours' to get out of...

Managing the Overseas Estate: the importance of local staff

Hi, I’m Brigadier Simon Stockley and I’m responsible for the provision of infrastructure to support our personnel in their bases overseas, while simultaneously providing Defence training facilities in the UK and around the world. Today I wanted to take the …

Nouveau Lashes: winning a Queen's Award was a team effort

Bridgette Softley, Director of Nouveau Lashes, shares her thoughts on why they have applied and what it has meant to win.

Queen’s Award like rocket fuel for Twinkl

Everything we do at Twinkl is to help those who teach. We’re an online educational publisher - with over 500,000 resources on our website from worksheets and flashcards to interactive presentations, videos and display materials.

Friends in high places: Ringing peregrine falcon chicks at York Minster

...the roof of York Minster for rather impressive (peregrine eye) views of York. The four chicks were colour-ringed with orange rings with three black letters – allowing them to be...

NDA logs in to preserve digital data down the centuries

The NDA has joined an international coalition dedicated to ensuring that the legacy of today's digital world will still make sense to future generations.

Promoting LGBT equality globally

...Prime Minister said in her recent speech, she “deeply regret[s] both the fact that such laws were introduced, and the legacy of discrimination, violence and even death that persists today”....

Monday 16 April: Commonwealth unites to end scourge of plastic

...Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which kicks off in London today. Global leaders from the Commonwealth’s 53 member states will gather together this week to promote prosperity, democracy and...

The latest on our deputy online reporting service

It’s been 18 months since we launched our online reporting service for lay deputies. Since then 6,000 reports have been submitted online, we’ve launched the service for public authorities and made changes to the design of the lay reporting service.

Two great opportunities to shape social work's future

Have your say in improving the future of Social Work for Adults in England Are social workers making a positive difference in people’s lives and could they be even more effective in their work? And likewise, how do those who …

Friday 15 December: Minister Coffey visits Cumbria and raptor persecution maps

On today's blog we have Minister Coffey visiting Cumbria to see how they recovered following storm Desmond and new raptor persecution maps to help tackle wildlife crime

Thursday 23 November: Budget, flooding and animal sentience

...progress we want to see. It does not have direct effect in law – in practice its effect is very unclear and it has failed to prevent practices across the...

Tuesday 21 November: Non-executive directors, Avian Flu, plastic pollution

On the blog today we address reports that lead non-executive director Steve Holliday is expected to hand in his notice, advice for backyard flock keepers to remain vigilant for signs of bird flu, and our pledge to tackle plastic pollution.

Making the change from project to delivery management

Agile delivery is relatively new to government, and a lot of teams and departments are still getting used to how it works. One of the essentials is that the team structure is right, and that you have the right people …

Diabetic eye screening is exactly the same for people who have rarer forms of diabetes

The NHS Diabetic Eye Screening (DES) Programme helps prevent sight loss in people with diabetes. Screening can detect diabetic retinopathy early, when treatment is effective at reducing or preventing damage from the condition.

Job alert: Chief Veterinary Officer UK

...is a great job! The advert is currently on Civil Service Jobs and further information can be found on the Veredus Recruitment site. Subscribe to the blog for email updates....

Robot revolution in a nuclear world

Robots are playing an increasing role in our lives with lawnmowers that drive themselves and drones that deliver parcels to your door. As we mark UK Robotics Week, NDA's Melanie Brownridge, explains how robots are helping us in the nuclear decommissioning industry.

The social care debate: it’s not just about the money

‘Social care was, for perhaps the first time, a defining issue in a general election,’ reflects Alex Fox Chief Executive of Shared Lives Plus and Chair of the Joint voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) Review. The debates about social …

Guerrilla statistics

Last year I was lucky enough to get on to the GDS Data Science Accelerator. On this scheme participants offer their enthusiasm to learn data science and their time to work on a project of potential value to their departments. …

Dragons’ Den series 14: Episode 12

A real mixed bag in tonight’s episode with drinks, dolls, beauty products and bicycle accessories all being pitched for that all important investment. It just goes to show that IP affects every area of business.

(Un)designing for open government and enterprise

At the Open Data Institute's annual Summit at the BFI Southbank in London in November, Defra's Permanent Secretary, Clare Moriarty, spoke about open ways of working, open culture and open data. This is what she had to say about the …

Making marking intelligent: feedback policy at Huntington School

Why do we mark? At the end of my first year of teaching I met with each of my students and discussed their progress. I was looking with Kate at her latest A level English literature essay. I had written …

Keeping libraries relevant and enhancing community wellbeing

Cllr Ian Stewart writes about the valuable work libraries do in Cumbria

Education in the media: 5 July 2016

...chosen to take this damaging action instead of continuing with the programme of talks with the Department. As she made clear in her letter, the NUT should share the Department’s...

Have your say on Libraries Deliver: an Ambition for Public Libraries in England 2016-2021

Draft document published today plus a number of ways that people can get involved and share their ideas