GOV.UK blogs

Our plan to get Britain Building again

Yesterday the Deputy Prime Minister launched the new National Planning Policy Framework which will increase housing targets to get Britain building again. We will also begin work today on a generation of new towns. The Deputy Prime Minister has appointed …

Roundup of OPSS Vacancies

We’re undergoing an exciting period at the OPSS, and there’s never been a better time to join us.

Do you care about the safety of products and want to protect people and places? Can we use your skills, knowledge and experience to enable UK business to thrive? If the answer is yes, then we would like to hear from you!

We are the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), part of the Department for Business, and Trade. We are here for the purpose of making regulation work to deliver real world impact. Regulation is a powerful Government tool to address market failures, influence behaviour and promote positive action. Crafted and delivered well, regulation can be an enabler of growth, innovation and efficiency.

Defence Developer Services (D2S): Launching new offerings for our users

D2S is part of the Defence Digital Foundry and provides products and services that enable the software development community and accelerate the delivery of software and applications. You can find out more information on the D2S Portal. It has been …

Coverage of rapid review to meet Environment Act targets

Today we’re looking at coverage of the government’s Environmental Improvement Plan announcement.

How we’re bringing change to water industry performance

The water industry is underperforming, and it needs to change. We know that people want and deserve more for their water environment. We are meeting this challenge head on.  We want to be a modern, confident and efficient regulator. To enable …

Getting ready for the consumer protection changes in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024

New powers for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) Today we are publishing our draft rules and procedural guidance covering an important aspect of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCC Act) – the new direct consumer enforcement …

What is a chemistry sample and why does the Environment Agency do them?

My name is Lucy, and I am a Field Monitoring Officer in the National Monitoring Field Team. My role involves collecting water samples from bathing waters and rivers. I take several types of samples but today I am going to …

Transforming tax: millions now using the HMRC app

If you’re checking your pay, changing jobs, viewing your state pension forecast or claiming Child Benefit, where do you go for the right information? Rather than wading through paperwork or picking up the phone, the HMRC app is becoming a …

Significant progress made with SMA screening in-service evaluation planning

The latest meeting of the SMA Screening In-service evaluation Partnership Board heard that significant progress had been made with the planning of the newborn screening ISE for spinal muscular atrophy.

Combatting crime in rural communities

Sgt Dan Goss from Merseyside Police Rural, Wildlife & Heritage Team shares how working collaboratively with the Environment Agency and others is helping to stop waste crime across Merseyside’s rural areas. Merseyside Police is one of the newest forces to …

How Heat-Health Alerts contribute to keeping the vulnerable safe this summer

This week’s higher temperatures have triggered a yellow Heat-Health Alert, issued for England by the Met Office and UKHSA. While some may question the necessity of such warnings, it's crucial to understand the significant health implications that accompany changes in temperature. In this blog we look at the importance of taking action to protect the most vulnerable in periods of hot weather, even when yellow alerts are issued.

GSE Profession at Civil Service Live 2024

Civil Service Live is an annual staff-learning conference, designed to allow civil servants to network, listen to thought-provoking sessions and share experiences and expertise. It is also an opportunity for civil servants to demonstrate leadership, learn new skills and improve …

Lord-Lieutenant for West Yorkshire Visits Accu to Present The King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade

Accu, a leading precision engineering components supplier, was honoured with The King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade last Friday (19/07). The prestigious award was presented by the Lord-Lieutenant for West Yorkshire, Ed Anderson, in recognition of Accu’s outstanding achievements …

Innovative solutions unveiled at the Deepfake Detection Challenge Showcase 

On July 17, the iconic Ministry of Sound in London became the hub of groundbreaking tech innovation as it hosted the Home Office led Deepfake Detection Challenge Showcase. This event marked the culmination of many months of hard work and …

We Are Strategic Command with Lilly Lotay

Discover how Lilly ensures compliance with critical procedures, adapts to diverse locations, and promotes UK Defence through Strategic Command's support and leadership. Interviewer: Could you introduce yourself and tell us about your background? Lilly: I'm Lilly Lotay, and I've been …

National conversation needed on how to turbo-charge Nature recovery while building the homes the country needs

England doesn’t have enough houses, and also doesn’t have enough Nature. If we are to succeed in meeting our national needs, we require more of both. For too long we’ve been told that the only way to build more homes …

Surpassing 4 million interactions: how we made collecting data a doddle

How we followed the GDS Service Standard to enable 4 million interactions with businesses.

Steve from the Grants Service team tells us about his work as an RPA Ambassador

RPA offers a range of grants and rural payments to farmers and businesses. In this blog, Steve France from the Grants Service team writes about his work attending shows as an RPA Ambassador. The Ambassadors represent RPA by engaging with …

What are bamboo plastic composites and why they shouldn’t be used for food or drink

Food products made from this mix of bamboo and plastic can leak substances including formaldehyde and melamine into food or drink, especially if the product is heated up or comes into contact with acidic foods. Usually harmless, when consumed at high levels or over a long period of time they can be potentially harmful to health.

Enhertu: Everything you need to know

You may have seen recent reports about the decision to not recommend a life-extending drug called Enhertu (Trastuzumab Deruxtecan) for the treatment of breast cancer on the NHS. Following ongoing commercial discussions between NICE, the NHS and the drug manufacturer, …

Generative AI in subsurface science and policy

Policy Lab has experimented with Artificial Intelligence (AI) in policy development with teams across government, and beyond, for a number of years. In 2019 we worked with the Department for Transport’s data science team to consider the role that AI …

Teacher pay: everything you need to know about the 2024 pay award

The Education Secretary has accepted the recommendations of the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) and confirmed the teacher pay award for 2024-25, setting out what school teachers in England can expect to be paid next academic year. The STRB is …

Futures on the Fast-Stream: how futures training and resources influenced my work

Licence: Creative Commons Attribution Tatiana Sirikova, free use from Pexels By Jack Thirlwell, Migration Strategy Team Leader, Population and Migration Division, Directorate for Culture and External Affairs, Scottish Government In this blog, Jack shares how learning about futures has supported …

The vital role of hydrography for maritime safety, efficiency and sustainability

Rear Admiral Angus Essenhigh OBE, the National Hydrographer and Director of Data Acquisition and Defence at the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO), shares his insights to mark World Hydrography Day, which took place on 21 June, celebrating the vital role of …

Holme Fen National Nature Reserve peatland restoration project

By Catherine Weightman, Natural England’s Senior Project Manager for Peatland Restoration in the Fens - West Anglia Team   I’ve been working for Natural England and its predecessors for more than twenty years. I’m currently working on peatland restoration in the …

How you can help us resist the tiger mosquito’s conquest of Europe

As our world becomes increasingly interconnected and the climate changes, the UK faces challenges that we might associate with more exotic destinations. One such challenge is the potential introduction of invasive mosquito species, particularly the tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus). This …

Free Speech Act: what you need to know

In 2023, the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act became law. Due to concerns from vulnerable groups about how the rules might harm student welfare, we are stopping the implementation of the Act.  This means that although the Act received …

SEO – Private Secretary, Government Office for Science

An exciting opportunity for current Civil Servants has now opened to join the Private Office of the Government Chief Scientific Adviser (GCSA), Dame Angela McLean, At the Government Office for Science (GO-Science).   Job Description  In this role, you will work …

Into the woods: growing up with the trees

Join us for this month's 'Into the woods' blog by Faye Dawson, who shares her experiences of growing up with a family-owned woodland near Bath.

Maintaining Professional Standards

Some of you are reaching the end of your Driver Qualification Card’s (DQC) life. So you’ll need to make sure that your training is booked and logged as soon as you can and certainly before it expires.

Grants Service team visit Cowsden Bank Farm to talk about FETF grants

RPA offers a wide range of grants and rural payments to farmers and businesses. In this blog, Georgina Ling from the Grants Service team writes about her visit to Cowsden Bank Farm in Worcestershire, to understand their experience of applying …

Improving our digital services

How HM Land Registry digital services are helping to make registration faster.

Pursuing Professional Development in Justice Digital

Joining the Civil Service As a young professional, I never anticipated my career would lead me to the Civil Service. I believe I speak for many twenty-somethings when I say I struggled to envision myself fitting into the mould of …

Maintaining Professional Standards

Some of you are reaching the end of your Driver Qualification Card’s (DQC) life. So you’ll need to make sure that your training is booked and logged as soon as you can and certainly before it expires.  

Working with stakeholders to finalise England's '30by30' criteria

In this post, Senior Policy Advisor Danielle tells us how she's been working with stakeholders to finalise England's 30by30 criteria.

Fish on Film: the challenges of using AI to improve sustainable fisheries management

In January this year, Cefas installed a Remote Electronic Monitoring system on our research vessel, the Cefas Endeavour. Why, you might ask… Do you really need to monitor a vessel that is already doing monitoring? Remote Electronic Monitoring - Let’s …

International cooperation helps understand the threat from an invasive forest pest

Dr Daegan Inward shares his insights into the ongoing studies on Ips typographus, the pest of spruce trees also known as the eight toothed spruce bark beetle.

Asking for guidance part 3: The case of the curious caution 

We explore a caution relating to a tithe in this, our third Ask for Guidance case study.

Farewell to SSAC

I joined the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) in 2014 as an academic with twenty years research and teaching expertise in social security law, alongside ten years as Executive Director of the Law Centre Northern Ireland. While all of this …

Information Commissioner's Office unveils data strategy: How we are shaping the future of data in regulating information rights

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
shares how they are using data to empower
through information.