7225posts
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RPA Grants Service team at shows and events
RPA’s Grants Service team have been attending numerous shows across the country this year, with more to come. They are encouraging farmers and businesses to meet them at the RPA stand to get advice on the grants available. In this …
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Implementation Challenges in Privacy-Preserving Federated Learning
Featuring: Dr. Mat Weldon - ONS Dr. Michael Fenton – Trūata Dr. Xiaowei Huang – University of Liverpool Dr. Yi Dong – University of Liverpool In this post, we talk with Dr. Xiaowei Huang and Dr. Yi Dong (University of …
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Agri-environment schemes work: Natural England’s latest findings
This month, Natural England published its annual report summarising projects of the Agri-Environment Scheme Monitoring & Evaluation Programme. In this guest post, Natural England’s Usha Waygood, Senior Officer in the Evidence Directorate, highlights some of the team’s findings from the report.
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Getting a head start on flu and other infections
The 18th century American philosopher, statesman and diplomat, Benjamin Franklin, famously said: “…in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” In the 21st century, we can add flu and covid infections to the list, so we need to be ready for them.
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GCSE results day 2024: Everything you need to know including the number grading system
Thousands of students across the country will soon be finding out their GCSE results and thinking about the next steps in their education. Here we explain everything you need to know about the big day, from when results day is, …
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Thriving Together: Nature and Community
Image: Natural England At the edge of Barrow-in-Furness, on the north-west coast of England, lies the island of Walney. A wild and windy landscape, it features some nationally rare and important habitats. It is linked to the much larger Morecambe …
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Marine Planning: Team changes and recruitment
We are excited to welcome three new team members to Marine Planning since our last update: Frances Procter – Senior Marine Planner (Natural Capital and Net Gain Lead) Emma Cooper – Marine Planner (Biodiversity and Habitat Lead) Char Lewis – …
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GAD’s work with the International Social Security Association
We work with the International Social Security Association (ISSA). In this blog, GAD Senior Consulting Actuary Chris Morley talks about his visit to the forum for ISSA technical commissions (TCs) in Geneva. The ISSA is the world’s leading international organisation for social security institutions, government departments and agencies. In March 2023 he was appointed as Vice-Chair of ISSA’s TC for Statistical, Actuarial and Financial Studies.
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Fines for parents for taking children out of school: What you need to know
Every moment in school counts and days missed add up quickly. Evidence shows that pupils who have good attendance enjoy better wellbeing and school performance than those who don't. The school day is split into two sessions – one session counts as …
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Looking ahead to results day for GCSE and level 1/level 2 vocational and technical qualifications
On Thursday (22 August), students will receive results for GCSEs and level 1/level 2 vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs). Students should be proud of their achievements as they receive their results. The qualifications they have gained provide trustworthy evidence of …
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One Big Thing 2024: One Big Thing starts with One Small Change
We are excited to announce that One Big Thing - our annual initiative to drive cross-Civil Service action around a shared priority - is back on 14 October 2024! Last year's focus on data skills was a tremendous success, with …
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First endorsed SFI action now available
The endorsed action, GRH6: Manage priority habitat species-rich grassland, is now on GOV.UK and is available to include in your Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) application through the Rural Payments service. In this post, we’ll give a brief recap on endorsed actions and summarise GRH6.
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Natalie brings sociological perspective to work of UK NSC
Profile on Professor Natalie Armstrong, the UK NSC’s implementation scientist expert
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How to stay healthy while wild swimming
This blog post has essential tips and advice if you're thinking of dipping your feet into the cool water of Britain's beaches, lakes and rivers. Read our tips on reducing your risk of becoming ill after open water swimming.
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The impact of the Common User Charge
Today’s blog outlines the government response to recent coverage of the Common User Charge introduced under the Border Target Operating Model.
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Royal Gibraltar Regiment help train Ukrainian soldiers
A team of 18 Royal Gibraltar Regiment (RG) soldiers were invited by the Coldstream Guards to help train 116 Ukrainian soldiers in a Basic Infantry Course. The five-week long course was held in the UK and is designed to transform …
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We've enabled thousands of homes in the Tees area - and much more!
The Nutrient Mitigation Scheme (NMS) continues with our sixth nutrient credit round now open in the Tees. To date we have offered credits for over 6,000 new homes in the Tees catchment area and have mitigation ready to meet thousands …
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Enhancing witness suites: Transforming court spaces for better access to justice
10 court witness waiting rooms across England and Wales have undergone significant improvements, aiming to create a more welcoming environment for those who need to use them.
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Implementing the Secure by Design approach
The rollout and implementation of the cross-government Secure by Design approach is well underway. Learn more about the importance of championing Secure by Design and the key steps to adopt at this stage in the latest CDDO blog.
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Another leap for workers’ rights reforms: ministers host first meeting with business leaders and unions
The government’s plans to strengthen the rights of working people took another major leap yesterday, as Deputy PM Angela Rayner and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds hosted trade unions and business organisations for the first time to progress their mission to …
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Going beneath the surface to reduce flood risk
Sam MacAllister and Tracy Hodsman from our asset performance teams explain how looking beneath the surface can be a key part of ensuring those on dry land have their flood risk reduced. The Environment Agency manages many different structures up …
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Inaccurate National Planning Policy Framework reporting
There has been media reporting suggesting councils will be forced to approve wind turbines, through changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). This inaccurate. We have made clear renewable projects will still subject to strict planning controls to protect …
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Reporting around rent controls
It has been reported in the media today that the Government is planning to give the Mayor of London powers to impose rent controls. This is not true. Fixing Britain’s housing crisis is one of our top priorities, and giving …
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From Homes for Ukraine to community building: my journey as a business analyst Fast Streamer
In this blog post, Luke Radford, Business Analyst and Fast Streamer turns the spotlight on our growing business analysis and performance analysis community of practice, and shares his experience of working on the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme.
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England achieves WHO certification for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B
Routine antenatal screening and neonatal immunisation have helped England achieve the World Health Organisation elimination targets for hepatitis B mother to child transmission.
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A warm welcome to our new members and a new vision for GDSA
Sarah Gartland welcomes a new cohort of members to the Government Digital Sustainability Alliance (GDSA) family, and shares the new vision.
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Introducing Natural England’s Science Advisory Committee
Prof Sallie Bailey, Chief Scientist I am excited to have started my role as Chief Scientist and recently attended my first meeting of Natural England’s Science Advisory Committee (NESAC). NESAC is a formal committee of Natural England’s Board, who are …
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How we migrated GOV.UK Notify to AWS Elastic Container Service
GOV.UK Notify recently migrated our applications to AWS Elastic Container Service. Find out how we did it without affecting our users.
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There’s still time to get free business advice
The Farming Resilience Fund offers free, tailored business support to help farmers and land managers plan during the early years of the agricultural transition. With over 100 actions available through the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) a range of grants to explore and with the advice offer ending in early 2025, now is a good time to talk to an adviser and plan for the future.
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Introducing you to...
Hi, I’m Nicole Villani and I’ve been working as a summer intern with RPA’s Grants Service team, based in Nottingham. I got the nine-week role as part of the Civil Service’s summer internship programme, after completing an internship in the …
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Finding Resolution: Inside the Small Claims Mediation Service
Our latest podcast episode explores the Small Claims Mediation Service and how it is supporting users to help speed up their claims and avoid the potential stress of going to court.
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Is agroforestry right for your farm? New funding to help plan and establish agroforestry systems
Agroforestry Development Manager Jim O'Neill explains the benefits of agroforestry and the support and funding available.
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Deputy Prime Minister visits Stoke-On-Trent in Light of Recent Violent Disorder
The Deputy Prime Minister visited Stoke-On-Trent yesterday (13 August) where she heard first-hand from those who were impacted by recent violent disorder. There has been coverage of the visit in BBC News online, Stoke-On-Trent Live and on BBC Midlands. Coverage …
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Combining AI and content design to extract insights from service assessment reports
How do we make sure that a Large Language Model (LLM) understands a task, and completes it as accurately as possible? If you’ve experimented yourself, or read the advice of major LLM providers (such as these guides from Anthropic, Google, …
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Surveying fish on the River Stour
My name is Dan Hayter and I work for the Environment Agency in East Anglia. Part of my job involves monitoring the number of fish we have in our rivers and one way I do this is through fish surveys. …
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Unrest highlights value of charity kindness and voice in national life
The toxicity unfolding online and on our streets over recent weeks has been shocking and disturbing. The events have demonstrated how easily vocal minorities can exploit division and incite violence. But my belief in the strength of our communities, and …
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A day in the life of a peatland contractor
In this post, Jonny Bainbridge, owner of an agri-environmental contracting business, shares a day in the life of a peatland contractor.
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Providing good experiences for children with complex needs
***Update: we have also released a podcast on this topic*** In January, we published a new research report on children with complex needs in children’s homes. The report was based on a national survey of local authorities and children’s home …
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What we're working on: improving our digital services
Gordon Thomson, DVSA's Head of Vehicle Testing, explains the work we’re doing to improve our digital services in the latest what we're working on blog post.
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Understanding the Sustainable Farming Incentive 2023 Annual Declaration
As the year progresses, we are reminding Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) agreement holders to submit their annual declaration. What is the Annual Declaration? The annual declaration is how SFI agreement holders confirm that they have delivered against their agreement …