7295posts
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Operation Angola – we need your help
Emma Viner, Enforcement and Investigations Manager, writes about just one of the many waste crime investigations the Environment Agency is dealing with. Waste crime is a major issue across the country which is often not fully understood. The Environmental Services …
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'Don't let perfection be the enemy of good'
In this latest Government Digital Sustainability Alliance (GDSA) update, members of the scope 3 emissions working group outline what scope 3 emissions are, they reflect on their panel discussion at the recent GDSA summit and look forward to next steps for the group.
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Innovating Interchange: STEM Futures Partner event
STEM Futures is a knowledge-exchange scheme which brings together cross-sector partners to develop science-skills capability. In March 2024, we hosted the first STEM Futures Innovating Interchange event, focusing on developing capability through cross-sector knowledge exchange. It was fantastic to see …
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Asking for guidance part 2: The case of the vexing restrictions
In our second case study, unusual restrictions create a conveyancing conundrum.
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Why it is important to report possible Colorado beetle sightings to APHA
For the first time in the UK since 1977, Colorado beetle was confirmed in a potato crop in Kent in July last year. If not eradicated, Colorado beetle pose a major threat to potato crops. Discover what APHA are doing in response and how you can help.
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How we’re growing our community of ‘low coders’
Di Washbrook explains how reading a Defra blog inspired her to take her own interest in low-code developing even further by joining the Defra Power Platform team.
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Scottish Prevent duty guidance factsheet
What is the Prevent duty? The Prevent duty was established by the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 and places a duty on specified authorities such as education, health, local authorities, police and criminal justice agencies (prisons and probation) to have …
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Why Community Payback Rapid Deployment teams are expanding nationwide
Rapid Deployment teams are Community Payback teams who are given a 48-hour window to complete a project referred to them by a local council and nominated by members of the public. Last year, Rapid Deployment teams were piloted across the …
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Single Service Owners: bridging the gaps to make ‘Great’ services
A key part of ensuring our services are the best they can be and delivered at the lowest cost is ownership of the end-to-end journey. Find out more about why single-service ownership, what it is and what's next in the latest CDDO blog.
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The importance of listening: Dr Suzy Walton reflects on her new role with SSAC
“If at first you don’t succeed…” I first applied to join the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) just after my 6th child was born. I was previously a Senior Civil Servant in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit and worked on …
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Understanding the jury selection process
Jury trials are a critical part of the justice system and date back hundreds of years. But how exactly are people selected for the process, and what happens when they are called to serve? Our latest blog explains more.
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National Plant Health Week: extreme weather and plant pests
It's National Plant Health Week. Today we look at the impact of climate change, with its increasingly extreme weather, on plant health.
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New Transforming Public Procurement (TPP) e-learning for procurement practitioners in schools and multi-academy trusts
Kevin Draisey, Head of Procurement Operations for Get help buying for schools, updates on the new Transforming Public Procurement (TPP) e-learning now available for procurement practitioners in schools and multi-academy trusts.
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I encourage you to change your mindset from "I can't do that" to "how can I learn?”
Having recently completed the care leaver internship scheme and since gained a promotion, Charlie Sanderson talks about her journey as a care leaver.
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Royal Gibraltar Regiment honour HM King Charles III with a Royal Gun Salute
In a ceremony held today, Monday 6 May 2024, at His Majesty’s Naval Base, the Royal Gibraltar Regiment’s Headquarter Company executed a Royal Gun Salute in honour of the Coronation of His Majesty, King Charles III. The event, marked by …
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Royal Gibraltar Regiment's Regimental Week
The Royal Gibraltar Regiment was proud to host a series of special events as part of its Regimental Week celebrations last week, marking its 85th anniversary. The week's events kicked off with a Regiment fun-filled Family Day at Devil’s Tower …
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Four facts about apprentice pay from the latest data
Ever since the National Minimum Wage was introduced in 1999, apprentices have been treated differently. At first, many apprentices were exempt from the minimum wage. In 2010, a separate ‘Apprentice Rate’ was brought in, set lower than other rates (initially …
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The Sustainable Farming Incentive: stats to know
Today, we updated the data showing the uptake of actions in Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and the uptake of options in Countryside Stewardship (CS) and Environmental Stewardship (CS). In this post, I’ll share an overview of the data for the Sustainable Farming Offer in 2023. I’ll also include some findings from research we conducted with around 500 SFI agreement holders, advisers and stakeholders.
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What Boeing Starliner means for the future of space
The UK Space Agency's Head of Space Exploration, Libby Jackson, shares her thoughts on why the upcoming launch of the Boeing Starliner capsule is so important and what it means for the future of the space sector.
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Water: How we’ve helped farmers reduce their usage and tackle pollution
Agriculture is crucial to food security and protects our landscapes, but it can pollute waterways and put pressure on water supplies. Read about our grants to help farmers tackle pollution and manage water better.
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My first impressions of SSAC by 'benefits nerd' Daphne Hall
A bit of a benefits nerd, I’ve been in welfare rights pretty much all my working life. I started as an adviser - first at Citizens Advice in London, moving on to Springfield psychiatric hospital and then Bristol City Council …
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Understanding the cell-cultivated products industry and landscape
Cell-cultivated products (CCPs) cover a variety of foods that can be made using a production process without slaughter or traditional farming and agricultural practices.
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Regimental Sergeant Major handover
The Royal Gibraltar Regiment is pleased to announce the handover of command from Regimental Sergeant Major, Warrant Officer (WO) Class 1 Daniel Henderson to WO1 Karon Fortunato, today, Friday 26 April 2024. WO1 Henderson has served with distinction in his …
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Coverage of voter ID
The 2024 local elections have been well run, and local authorities have delivered them robustly and securely, as they always do. Read The Electoral Commission's Statement here. As recommended by international election watchdogs, including the Electoral Commission, we have introduced …
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A visit to the largest environmental project in Britain
In our latest blog post, we look back at a recent visit by staff from Great British Nuclear and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to Hinkley Point C.
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How to have a fun and healthy farm visit with the kids this Easter holiday
This blog post was reviewed and updated in April 2025. Visiting a farm is one of the most enjoyable and educational experience outdoor activities for kids, but it carries a risk of infection from animals or the environment. Farm animals …
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Input privacy for vertical federated learning
This post is part of a series on privacy-preserving federated learning. The series is a collaboration between the Responsible Technology Adoption Unit (RTA) and the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Learn more and read all the posts …
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Filling ‘the hole in the centre’: The No.10 Policy Unit – 50 years on
The Downing Street Policy Unit[i] has been part of the inner workings of British government for half a century. It was created by Prime Minister Harold Wilson in March 1974.[ii] All successive prime ministers have retained the Policy Unit, adapting …
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Words matter: shaping our Home Office content style guide
In our latest blog, Steven Shukor, Principal Content Designer, explains how we’re setting content style standards across the Home Office.
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Family Hubs and Start for Life - everything you need to know
We are committed to giving every baby the best start in life. Here’s what you need to know about the government’s Family Hubs and Start for Life programme. What is Start for Life? There is strong evidence that the 1,001 …
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Collaboration across government grants is paving the way for more efficiencies
Nadeem Ilyas from DfT is part of an innovative pilot to make grants more efficient, which will result in more electric charging points and much more
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Three trends shaping the future of engineering
For head of asset management at Sellafield Ltd, Gary Dixon, harnessing the latest technology and applying them on an industrial engineering level is something that he gets to do every day.
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Voter ID requirements for voting in person
The Government has introduced identification for voting in person across Great Britain. Voter identification has been recommended by the Electoral Commission since at least 2014 and is in line with the longstanding arrangements in Northern Ireland, which has had the …
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Making the service assessment process easier and more consistent
For the last 18 months, we’ve been investigating and implementing initiatives for how we check and improve our digital services against standards, specifically, the Government Service Standard. Our research findings show that the way we assess these services in DfE …
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Why become a charity Interim Manager?
Interim Managers can play a crucial role in turning around a charity that has encountered problems. The Charity Commission is looking for more firms to join our list of approved practitioners whose nominated individuals will be considered for future Interim …
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OFSI launch FAQs
On 1 May, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) introduced Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), a new form of additional guidance aimed at providing technical support to industry partners and the public. Our FAQs are designed to offer easily accessible …
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Professor Stephen Hardy reflects on joining SSAC with ‘an insider view’
As an academic, researching into employment and social security law, I often found myself looking at the wealth of work undertaken by the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) from the outside. Therefore, when they advertised for new Committee members with legal …
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An Ambitious Civil Service: introducing the Policy System Framework
A guest blog by Serena Nüsing, Senior Service Designer in the Policy Profession Unit Are you a civil servant who’s passionate about improving policy capability at an organisational level? Do you want to know if your organisation is best set …
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How reducing the cap on faith school admissions will help to raise standards
Faith groups run some of the best schools in the country, including in some of the most disadvantaged areas. Current rules mean that religious free schools are only allowed to offer 50% of places to pupils based on faith. Some …
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How did singing and dancing pills raise awareness of antibiotic resistance?
In 2017, the Keep Antibiotics Working campaign targeted groups who were most likely to use antibiotics (mothers of children aged 0-16, and people aged over 50), and healthcare professionals dealing with patient care and prescribing. In this blog post, we look at a peer-reviewed study investigating the impact of the campaign.