7234posts
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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 …
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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.
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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, …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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.
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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.
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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 …
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Improving our digital services
How HM Land Registry digital services are helping to make registration faster.
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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 …
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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.
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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.
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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 …
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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.
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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.
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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 …
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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. -
The Environment Agency has published its annual Environmental Performance Assessment (EPA) report
The Environment Agency has published its annual Environmental Performance Assessment (EPA) report of the environmental performance of England’s nine water and sewerage companies during 2023. The EPA is the only independent comparison of environmental performance across the sector. While it …
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Storm recovery in Lincolnshire
My name is Paul Dutchburn, and I am the Asset Performance Team Leader in the South Humber & East Coast (SHEC) in the Lincolnshire & Northamptonshire Area. Six months after the eighth storm of the 2023-2024 season, I am now …
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Celebrating success this awards season
CDIO, Rich Corbridge reflects on how the collective efforts of DWP Digital colleagues has been the driving force of success and industry recognition over the past 12 months.
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Generative AI in government: DBT’s next steps
How DBT has been working with partners across government to learn about the potential value that AI tools could bring to our support for businesses.
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An exciting job opportunity for veterinary surgeons at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
Do you have the veterinary expertise that can help us innovate and develop new, cutting-edge technologies? Are you excited by the prospect of interesting and challenging scientific problems that, owing to their sensitivity, cannot be done elsewhere? Can you see …
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BNG lessons learned with Local Planning Authorities
By Ruth Andreyeva, Director of Land, Water and Seas strategy Biodiversity net gain (BNG) became mandatory in England earlier in 2024, after many years of collaboration across industry and the public sector. We celebrate this milestone wholeheartedly, but we’re not …
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RPA supports Farm Safety Week
RPA is supporting Farm Safety Week run by the Farm Safety Foundation – or Yellow Wellies as they’re known. Farm Safety Week, starting on 22 July, is the ten-year anniversary of the campaign, which brings together more than 400 partners …
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ACE suppliers Coefficient and Bays Consulting win £100,000 AI competition prize
Two suppliers who met through ACE’s Vivace community have been awarded a £100,000 grant from the Government’s AI Fairness Innovation Challenge to develop novel solutions for addressing unfair bias and discrimination in artificial intelligence systems. The Challenge, managed by the …
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Inside BFSAI: Mount Pleasant winter capabilities
In British Forces South Atlantic Islands (BFSAI), Mount Pleasant Airfield (MPA) is exposed to dramatic and challenging South Atlantic winter conditions at this time of year. This climate makes the operation of the airfield challenging. 1312 Flight (Flt), 905 Expeditionary …
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Beth’s love of problem-solving is ideal for her UK NSC role
Profile of UK NSC test expert member Professor Bethany Shinkins.
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Global IT Outage and OFSI Reporting Obligations
Ongoing technical issues with global IT systems, as reported in the media, may be impacting upon firms’ ability to fulfil their reporting obligations to OFSI, or meet other deadlines to supply us with information. For any reporting which misses the …
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DHSC's position on puberty blockers
Response to High Court ruling on puberty blockers On 29 July 2024, the High Court ruled a ban on puberty blockers introduced by the government was lawful. DHSC's response is below: Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “I …
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RPA Agency Management Board visit to Bearwardcote Farm
RPA offers a wide range of grants and rural payments to farmers and businesses. In this blog, Robert from the Grants Service team writes about RPA’s Agency Management Board visit to Bearwardcote Farm in Derbyshire talking to the farmers about …
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Flood & Coast Excellence Awards 2024: Celebrating Innovation and Collaboration
This week, the Environment Agency hosted the Flood and Coast Excellence Awards. These celebrate some of the most innovative and impactful flood and coastal erosion risk management projects from across the country writes Caroline Douglass, Environment Agency Executive Director of …
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Engineering the perfect Summer for your STEM development
Summer learning for GSE members The GSE Awareness courses have been refreshed and support the ambition to increase scientific literacy across government and help deliver on the GCSA's aim for a more scientific civil service. Check out the changes made …
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Understanding algal blooms in the River Wye
My name is Jason Doe and I’m a freshwater ecologist in the Environment Agency. I have been surveying algae in the River Wye for several years and find the interactions between aquatic life and its environment fascinating. Plants and invertebrates …
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How grass cutting on flood defences reduces the risk of flooding
Abigail Ovenden, Asset Management Engagement Advisor in Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, talks about how important it is to cut grass on flood defences and why such work is done. You may have seen our Environment Agency teams and contractors out cutting …