7291posts
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From valves and control systems to AI and robotics: is Sellafield the ultimate engineering training ground?
David Jones, Sellafield Ltd’s head of Operational Technology Group, explains why our nuclear heritage creates the ultimate engineering training environment for budding engineers.
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Update on the Renters (Reform) Bill
Today it has been confirmed by the Leader of the House of Commons that the Renters (Reform) Bill will return to the House on Wednesday next week, 24 April . This landmark legislation will provide a fairer private rented sector …
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Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games - delivering the highest quality global events with big local impact
Guest blog by Sam Lister, Director General at DCMS When thinking about the different kinds of jobs civil servants do, you might be surprised that these include organising a major international sporting event. An evaluation report published in April marked …
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Taking action for our ocean: reflections from the UN Ocean Decade Conference
In this post, Defra Chief Scientific Adviser Gideon Henderson and Senior Policy Advisor Frances Bird share their highlights and reflections from the UN Ocean Decade conference.
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Predicting emerging technologies – how did we do in 2023?
Jan Murdoch reflects on what the Defra Technology Innovation team got right with their 2023 Emerging Technology radar report, and the lessons they can take as they think about the next iteration.
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Offering wraparound childcare at our schools
Executive Deputy Headteacher, Lyndsy Killip, at Queen’s Park Federation tells us about their experience of being an early adopter of wraparound childcare and the benefits wraparound has brought to their school community.
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Gibraltar Defence Police Peer support coordinators course
Three members of the Gibraltar Defence Police and the Defence Guard Service welfare committee recently took part in an online Peer Support Co-ordinators course as part of improving their force’s welfare capabilities. The National Police Wellbeing Service course, which took …
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CMA10 essay competition: winners announced
We ran an essay competition to mark the 10th anniversary of the CMA. 85 students and recent graduates sent in their entries in response to the question: ‘What are the benefits of a strong competition and/or consumer protection regime, and …
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FiPL spotlight: the Central Dartmoor Farm Cluster
In the latest Farming in Protected Landscape (FiPL) project spotlight, I shine a light on the work of the Central Dartmoor Farm Cluster.
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Media factsheet: eVisas
This factsheet has been superseded by a new version here. Overview eVisas are a key part of delivering a border and immigration system which will be ‘digital by default’ by 2025. This process is already underway, and millions of people …
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Engendering passion for our natural world
Toby Strong, award winning cinematographer, and colleague and friend of David Attenborough, shares his reflections on the importance of engendering a passion for our natural world. I was honoured and excited to be at the recent GDSA summit and …
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Our plan for Cambridge
There remains much interest in our plan to unleash the economic potential of Cambridge, by building new homes and increasing the amount of lab space. Cambridge is a key part of our long-term plan for housing and we believe the …
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Madam Speaker and the Minister for Health, Care and Business visit to Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron
The Minister for Heath, Care and Business, the Hon Gemma Arias-Vasquez, and the Speaker of the Gibraltar Parliament, Judge Karen Ramagge visited Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron yesterday, Tuesday 16 April. They were greeted by Commander British Forces, Commodore Tom Guy, …
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Announcing the second year of MANIFEST: three new artists placed in policy teams
Policy Lab provides an experimental environment for testing and evaluating new ways to make policy. In our ten-year history we have created space for designers, technologists, ethnographers and other novel practitioners, all with the aim to make policy more effective, …
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Providing guidance to protect habitats and threatened native species
By James Marshall, Deputy Director for Norfolk and Suffolk As the government’s advisers on the natural environment, Natural England’s role is to ensure our environment is conserved, enhanced and managed for the benefit of people and wildlife. Recent media reports …
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Guidance for Local Authorities on Data Analytics in Children’s Social Care
Children’s Social Care is one of the most important functions the government carries out. Children who need help and protection deserve high quality and effective support as soon as a need is identified. Data analytics tools, software that enables categorisation …
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How to register as a childminder and receive a grant worth up to £1,200
We’re making the biggest investment by a UK government into childcare in history. Parents have the flexibility to choose how they spend their government-funded hours – and many are opting to use childminders. Being a childminder is a rewarding role where you can …
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Laying the hedgerow regulations
We are pleased to tell you that legislation to protect hedgerows has today been laid in both Houses of Parliament. If approved by Parliament, the Management of Hedgerows (England) Regulations 2024 will put baseline hedgerow management practices into law, providing a consistent approach across all people operating on agricultural land.
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Stop! Think Fraud: Home Office-led campaign empowers people to protect themselves against fraud
Fraud accounts for around 38% of all estimated crime in England and Wales, that’s nearly one in 17 adults who fall victim to fraud every year, and the cost of fraud to society is estimated to be £6.8 billion a …
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Unmasking deception: join the Deepfake Detection Challenge!
Amid increasing risks, including rapid advances in generative artificial intelligence which are accelerating the evolution of deepfakes, the Home Office, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Alan Turing Institute, and ACE have come together to launch a Deepfakes Detection Challenge.
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What is social value and how can schools and trusts benefit from it?
Find out why the Get help buying for schools service wants to work with schools and trusts to ensure they are getting not just value for money, but wider social value from their procurements, and why schools shouldn’t be afraid to ask suppliers what additional value they can bring to the table.
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Graham excited by challenges facing the evolving UK NSC
Dr Graham Shortland OBE talks about his roles on the UK NSC as vice-chair and a paediatric specialist and the exciting challenges facing the committee.
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Who’s eligible for the 2024 COVID-19 vaccine?
For information about the 2024 COVID-19 autumn/winter vaccination, visit our relevant blog post. As we move into spring, protection from any earlier COVID-19 vaccination you may have had will be starting to wane. For those who are more likely to …
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Royal Gibraltar Regiment welcomes newly commissioned officers
The Royal Gibraltar Regiment proudly welcomes Officer Cadet Adam Large and Officer Cadet Joseph Pfang, who have successfully completed their training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and will now join the Regiment as Second Lieutenants (2nd Lt). 2nd Lts …
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Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping: what you need to know
The Prime Minister has set out plans to build a better and brighter future for our children. This includes the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which was announced in the King’s speech on 7 November 2023 and introduced to Parliament on …
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Renters (Reform) Bill
There has been continued coverage around the Renters (Reform) Bill. This landmark legislation will provide a fairer private rented sector and deliver on the manifesto commitment to ban Section 21 evictions. The Bill is progressing through the House of Commons …
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Greener services hack day: Part two
In the second post of a two-part blog, content designers Natalie Smithson and Sandeep Dhaliwal report on the outputs of the recent hack day, led by Defra’s planet-centred design (PCD) team.
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Join us at our virtual Digital Recruitment Days and explore your next career move
We’re holding our next Digital Recruitment Days virtually, on 25 and 26 April! Do you work in engineering, user research or interaction design, and are looking for a fulfilling and impactful career opportunity? Join us online, meet our teams and potentially get hired.
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What’s past is prologue; looking back on the past decade of the RPC
As the RPC says thanks and goodbye to departing member Jonathan Cave, he shares some thoughts on the evolution of better regulation in the UK over the past decade.
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Supporting every learner using the National Tutoring Programme
Executive Headteacher at the Imperium Federation, Meic Griffiths, shares his experience using the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) to support pupils at the federation.
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Webinar follow up: uplands
On Wednesday 27 March, we held a webinar on the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Countryside Stewardship (CS) schemes for upland farmers. In this post, we summarise what we covered and include links for you to learn more.
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Meet the Modern Civil Service: Jim Harra
Hello! Welcome to another interview in the Meet the Modern Civil Service series. The aim of this series is to showcase the people in the civil service who are driving innovation, whether that be through being a learning champion, …
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What is whooping cough and is there a vaccine?
This blog post was last checked and updated in September 2024. Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a highly contagious bacterial infection that mainly affects the lungs and airways. Whooping cough is sometimes known as the 100-day cough because …
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Webinar follow up: livestock and grassland
We recently held a webinar for livestock and grassland farmers in England. In the webinar, we gave an overview of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer and how the scheme supports both productivity and the environment. We also covered the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway and the grants on offer through the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund. In this post, we summarise what we covered and include the recording and links for you to learn more.
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The name's Thor - PD Thor!
Meet Thor, one of Gibraltar Defence Police’s four legged officers who are specially trained and must be healthy, of good temperament and most importantly, be bold and courageous! The talents of our canine companions are still an invaluable crime-fighting tool …
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Trees and biodiversity net gain on small sites
Amanda Newsome, Biodiversity Net Gain Advisor and Jim Smith, Urban Forestry Advisor at the Forestry Commission explore how integrating trees into new developments can contribute towards delivering biodiversity net gain.
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The Rural Payments Agency Podcast: Episode 9
Welcome to the ninth episode of The RPA Podcast. In our latest episode, we discuss the opening of the claim window for existing Countryside Stewardship revenue and Environmental Stewardship agreements with CS processing manager Gregg Bulman. We discuss how farmers …
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The Rural Payments Agency Podcast: Episode 9 Transcript
Executive Summary Item 1: Gregg Bulman a Countryside Stewardship Processing manager, runs us through opening of the claim window for existing Countryside Stewardship revenue and Environmental Stewardship agreements as well as giving an update on Delinked Payments. The claim window …
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How to choose a business rates agent
In this blog, we set out what look for when choosing an agent, how to avoid scams and the standards we expect agents to follow.
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Preparing for the requirement to mediate in small claims: What you need to know
Mediation is soon to be an integral part of the small claims process, meaning parties will need to attend an appointment to try and resolve their case ahead of having a court hearing. Rosemary Rand, Deputy Director and Service Owner for Civil, and Chris Kane, Head of the Small Claims Mediation Service, explain why the service is changing and what the benefits are.