7287posts
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Coverage following the Secretary of State’s speech to the Oxford Farming Conference 2025.
The Secretary of State Steve Reed addressed the Oxford Farming Conference on Wednesday (9 January) to outline the Government’s long-term vision to make farming more profitable and put more money back in the pockets of British farmers. The speech was …
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MHRA Good Clinical and Laboratory Practice Symposia (11 and 12 February 2025)
Come and join the next MHRA Symposia in February 2025 and hear the latest on Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) in the UK from MHRA inspectors and regulators. Registration is available on the dedicated symposia website for in-person …
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Deputy Prime Minister promises to Make Work Pay in Scotland
Scottish media outlets including The Scotsman, The National, the Daily Record and Glasgow Times have all positively reported on the Deputy Prime Minister’s visit to Glasgow yesterday (09/01/25), where she pledged her commitment to making work pay in Scotland through …
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Maximising the miracle and minimising the disaster – putting Nature at the heart of food security
I was invited to speak at a historic event this week – the first major joint gathering of attendees at the two Oxford farming conferences: the Oxford Farming Conference and the Oxford Real Farming Conference. After more than a decade …
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Dragons’ Den IP Blog- Series 22 Episode 1
Happy new year everyone! Can you believe we are onto series 22 of Dragons’ Den! As a new band of entrepreneurs face the dragons we are here, as always, ready and waiting to spot and discuss the different types of intellectual property in the pitches.
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Updating the User Researcher role in the Capability Framework
Those of you with eagle eyes will have noticed the ’user researcher’ role in the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework, published by the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO), has recently been updated. This blog post shares some of the background and thinking behind the changes, and highlights some of the things it means for user researchers working in government.
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Celebrating 50 years of MOD conservation groups
The importance of the MOD estate for supporting wildlife and heritage has long been recognised. In 1971-73, the Nugent Committee examined the necessity and management of Defence land holdings. It noted the importance of the estate, and highlighted the need …
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Sir Jim Harra: Why small changes matter at HMRC
Sir Jim Harra, the Permanent Secretary at HM Revenue and Customs, tells us about the innovative small changes happening in his department.
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Reporting on Local Elections
There has been widespread reporting, including in The Times and on BBC News that in some areas, local elections scheduled for May 2025 may be postponed. Some outlets have speculated about the number of areas, and which ones, will be …
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Green shoots but plenty more still to do
Chris Howes shares his thoughts on the latest Government ICT sustainability report, acknowledging the progress made and the work still to be done.
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Navigating FMP consultations: Q&A videos to answer your questions
MMO’s Regional Fisheries Group team dive into the FMP consultations to answer your questions on the cockle FMP, Southern North Sea demersal non-quota FMP, skates and rays FMP and the sprat FMP.
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GOV.UK One Login: Advancing digital sustainability in government
Find out how GOV.UK One Login is leading the way in reducing emissions while supporting greener government operations.
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4 things I've learnt as a policy professional working in digital
Policy professionals can learn a lot from the world of digital. In this blog post, Reuben, Policy Design Lead in MHCLG’s Funding Service team, shares insights he’s gained on user-centred design, agile working and cross-team collaboration.
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Fostering innovation and collaboration: Insights from DBT's first AI conference
Cross government AI professionals met to share ideas from their different AI initiatives.
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Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: saving parents money on school uniform costs
Families shouldn’t have to be out of pocket when it comes to setting their child up for school. That’s why our new Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will introduce measures to help with school uniform costs and introduce free breakfast …
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Meningitis: I underwent multiple surgeries, including the amputation of several fingers
In this blog post, Becca shares her story of how meningitis changed her life and disrupted her plans just weeks into her starting her degree.
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Unlocking Accessibility: User researchers share their approach to digital accessibility and recruiting people with disabilities
We asked user researchers about their role in making digital services accessible, recruiting people with access needs, and sharing best practices for integrating accessibility into the user research process.
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Recruitment - independent member of ARAC (finance expert)
The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) is an arm’s length body of the Department for Business and Trade. Since 2021 we’ve had responsibility for guarding the UK against economic harm caused by unfair trading practices. We undertake investigations into imports to the UK which may be unfair due to …
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Otherwise they’d be stationaries - a few thoughts on innovation
New year reflections on what innovation is, as we focus more on innovating within the civil service.
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Are schools closed because of snow? Everything parents need to know
On snowy days schools make every effort to stay open but sometimes they must close or partially close if it’s unsafe for pupils and teachers to attend. When there is a cold weather warning in place, many parents will be …
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Certification: independent assurance that the rules are being followed
How can we be confident that the trust framework rules are being followed? That’s the role of “conformity assessment”.
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Historic rights of way saved
Wishing you a very happy New Year from the Defra Environment blog team. It’s a time of year when many of us enjoy a brisk winter’s walk with our families. On Boxing Day, a favourite day for rambling, the government …
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The King’s New Year Honours list 2025: honours for contributions to education, skills and children’s social care
Over 100 Brits who have made outstanding contributions to education, skills and children’s social care in the UK have been recognised by the King in his New Year Honours. The nominees in the King’s New Year’s Honours List 2025 represent …
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Coverage following Government crackdown on waste incinerators with stricter standards for new builds
Today we are looking at coverage of our announcement that new waste incinerators will only receive planning approval if they meet strict new local and environmental conditions.
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Health and science: A guide to our most popular blog posts of 2024
Around a million people read our blog in 2024, and we were the most read blog across government in December.
Read this blog post and subscribe for the latest advice and insights.
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NSIP funding is catalysing investment and creating jobs
The UK Space Agency's National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP) provides an opportunity for the UK space sector to develop innovations with vast social and economic benefits.
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Coverage following announcement of new £15 million food waste fund
There has been widespread coverage of the Government announcement that a new £15 million fund will help charities collect food waste from farms and distribute it to those who need it most. The new scheme will see grants starting from …
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Coverage following announcement of new £15 million food waste fund
There has been widespread coverage of the Government announcement that a new £15 million fund will help charities collect food waste from farms and distribute it to those who need it most. The new scheme will see grants starting from …
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Thank you and best wishes for 2025!
As 2024 draws to a close, we wanted to take the opportunity to thank you all for your continued dedication and support in helping make GFiE Life Chance recruitment the success that it is. With your support, we have been …
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Using hypotheses to improve our content review process
Content designer Lauren Stopps writes about a project to improve the content team's internal review process.
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Top 10 technologies – a CMA horizon scanning perspective
In today's rapidly evolving technological and digital landscape, staying ahead of emerging trends is more important than ever. Being on the front foot – so that regulators and governments can keep pace with fast-moving markets – will help ensure that …
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Highlights of 2024: FMP milestones and what to expect in 2025
2024 was packed with activity across our fisheries management plans. Read about our milestones and what’s coming up in 2025!
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Cornish daffodils without the muddy floods
Stephen Webster is a land management officer in Cornwall and has worked with daffodil growers over the last two years to reduce flood risk and soil erosion. Cornwall is the home of daffodils, with four out of five flowers cut …
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Coverage following Ofwat's final determinations on water bills
There has been widespread coverage following the publication of Ofwat's final determinations yesterday as part of the 2024 price review. Ofwat, the independent economic regulator of the water sector, has announced bill rises which equate to around £3 additional per …
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Michael's Journey: From OSG to Account Manager in the Prison Service (Part two)
In this continuation of Michael's story, we delve deeper into his 21-year journey with the Prison Service, which began at HMP Rochester as an operational support grade (OSG). Rising through roles like prison officer and custodial manager, he now works to improve performance at some of the most challenging prison sites.
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Watch out - Space Trash Signs is About!
The Space Trash Signs initiative aims to increase public awareness of space pollution.
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Celebrating 2024: A year of achievements at Darlington Economic Campus
This is a guest blog by Emma Dudman, Change Communications and Engagement Lead at the Department for Business and Trade, and Sara Gracey, HM Treasury’s Head of Engagement at Darlington Economic Campus. It’s a frosty Thursday morning at the Darlington …
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12 Months of Justice: The HMCTS 2024 Review
Join us for a special end-of-year review episode of Inside HMCTS, where we reflect on the justice highlights of 2024 across all jurisdictions. Hear from our colleagues and special guests as we look back on the year and what 2025 might have in store.
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MyDefence Rewind 2024: A Year in Review
A Journey to People Empowerment It’s been an extraordinary year for the MyDefence programme. From shaping the vision of an ambitious coherence initiative to navigating multiple phases of research, design, and development, our journey has been nothing short of remarkable. …
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Trust at a distance: how can digital identities help?
The UK Government is committed to promoting a global digital environment which is open but also safe. We believe that secure, privacy-enhancing digital identities that work across national boundaries can enable that objective.