6995posts
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Natural England's role in High Speed 2
There has been inaccurate coverage about Natural England’s involvement in the development of HS2's bat tunnel. Natural England has not required HS2 Ltd to build the reported structure, or any other structure, nor advised on the design or costs. The …
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Pricing algorithms and competition law: what you need to know
Do you use an algorithm to guide your pricing decisions? Maybe you get pricing recommendations using software or an external supplier that uses an algorithm? Or perhaps you sell pricing software solutions? The use of pricing algorithms is widespread these days …
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Turning the page: understanding the barriers to library use and how to encourage engagement
Earlier this year Ipsos UK carried out research on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to understand barriers to public library use in England and help identify the factors that could support increased engagement. With data showing …
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International use of England's biodiversity metric having global impact
By Nick White, Principal Adviser on Biodiversity Net Gain, and Steve Panks, Principal Specialist Biodiversity Net Gain and Biodiversity Metrics, at Natural England, explore the global significance of the biodiversity metric and its role in nature recovery across the world. …
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Take part in a consultation on drought management in England
After a very wet September for some parts of the country, drought may be the last thing on your mind. However, dry weather can come unexpectedly – as we saw in the summer of 2022. Our changing climate means we …
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HPValidate cervical screening self-sampling study publishes final results
The HPValidate study has published its final results and found that 4 combinations of HPV self-collection device and test worked well – these can now be used to help find out how self-sampling could be introduced into cervical screening.
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From manual to automated: enhancing reporting for the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping team
Discover how MHCLG's Digital Process Improvement team transformed reporting processes for the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Accommodation team, enhancing efficiency and support for vulnerable communities.
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£10 Million Winter Fund Launched to Protect Rough Sleepers
Yesterday we launched an emergency £10 million fund to support rough sleepers this winter. As the coldest months of the year approach, this funding will go direct to councils with the highest need and support thousands of the most vulnerable …
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GOVERNMENT VETERINARY SERVICES (GVS) AT THE LONDON VET SHOW 2024
The Government Veterinary Services (GVS) are really excited to be exhibiting at the London Vet Show on Thursday 14th and Friday 15th November. We will be on stand N70, so do stop by to say "hi" and learn more about …
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Making leadership more visible: Senior Civil Service roles are now on the Digital and Data Capability Framework
Last month we updated the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework to include Senior Civil Service (SCS) roles.
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The significance of Remembrance and the Festival of Remembrance to the UK military community
Glen Hymers, Chief Information Security Officer, at Cabinet Office Digital shares his personal reflections on Remembrance and its significance to the veteran community.
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Greater transparency in valuation information
We explore our future approach to sharing information on business rates valuations, and what it will mean for our customers.
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Alternative Student Finance – how we’re making student finance accessible to everyone
Some people feel unable to use existing student loans due to their faith. This is most common among some Muslims because their religion prohibits engagement with interest, which is applied to all student loans. We support the goals of every …
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Discovering the secrets in the ground underneath Western Europe’s most hazardous building
John Heneghan, one of our contaminated land specialists, explains what pioneering ways him and his team are discovering, in order to manage ground contamination work.
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RHA and DVSA job shadow for National Lorry Week
As part of DVSA’s vision to develop better partnerships with industry, we were really pleased to agree to set up some job shadowing opportunities with the Road Haulage Association (RHA) when they first approached us. RHA wanted the shadowing to …
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Connecting nature and technology – reflections from COP16
Ahead of the start of COP29 Matt Bradley reflects on the achievements from another COP - COP16 – which took place in Colombia recently. COP16 marked the first Biodiversity COP since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Nearly …
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Investment oversight insight
In this blog we look at investment governance, the framework which guides investment decisions. It is especially significant in GAD where we work on the detail of investment analysis with clients as well as overarching policy that determines how an investment strategy is set and monitored.
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Strategic Renewables Unit Powers Ahead!
Successfully Tackling Underwater Noise This summer, the SRU, alongside other MMO teams, regulators and industry developers, collaborated to manage noisy activities in the Southern North Sea Special Area of Conservation. By working together, all parties successfully kept noise levels below …
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Working together for nature – collaborating on the first Local Nature Recovery Strategy in England
By Simon Stonehouse, Natural England Wessex Area Team The Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) for the West of England has landed. It’s the first of 48 that will cover the whole of England to be launched. This is a huge …
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Kickstarting local nature recovery: a new strategy for the West of England
The first Local Nature Recovery Strategy has been published. Find out why that's important for local and national biodiversity.
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What is the Curriculum and Assessment Review and how will it impact my child's education?
We’re holding an independent review to refresh the curriculum and statutory assessment system for 5- to 19 -year-olds. Here's how it will impact you.
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Supporting growth and unlocking the opportunities of AI
At the Financial Times Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit today, I shared some of the Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) evolving thinking on the foundational role of competition in the UK's growth mission, and how we have been challenging ourselves on …
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A commissioner for the tenant farming sector
Today, at the Northern Farming Conference, Food Security and Rural Affairs Minister Daniel Zeichner shared that there will be a commissioner for the tenant farming sector in England.
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Setting the standard for biodiversity markets in the UK
In this post, Ciaran Ambler, Head of Biodiversity Finance and Philanthropy in Defra's Green Finance team, shares the recently launched Biodiversity Standard and how you can share your views to ensure this standard works for the whole sector.
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Getting your school or trust ready for new recycling regulations
In this blog post, Amanda Quinn, Education Procurement Category Manager at YPO, highlights new, simpler recycling regulations coming into force in 2025 and the action that schools and trusts will need to take to be compliant.
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Improving the Mental Health Act: what you need to know
The Mental Health Act is changing to give patients a greater say over their care and to improve their experiences, whilst protecting them, staff and the general public. But how is it changing? In this explainer post, we’ll answer some …
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Early battles to lifelong passion
As part of the Defence Experimentation and Wargaming Hub’s People in Wargaming series we recently spoke to a panel of people/experts about their experiences in the field of wargaming. Interviewer: Can you briefly introduce yourself? Tess: I am Tess Butler, CEO …
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Coastal Planner Corner
The MMO have marine planners based around the English coast. Their role is to engage with you for the development, implementation, and monitoring of marine plans. You can find out who your local coastal planner is and their contact details …
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Waste Crime Engagement Specialists take to the stage at the Environmental Services and Solutions Expo in a bid to stop waste crime
Waste crime is estimated to cost the UK economy around £1 billion per year. Often this money is taken away from essential services to deal with the damage caused by waste criminals. Waste crime can endanger people's safety, undercut reputable …
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Knives Down: Inside the community fight against knife crime (Part 2)
In the second part of our anti-knife crime event podcast we find out more about the event from some of our special guests who attended the event on the day to help educate young people on the dangers of carrying a knife.
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The Tobacco and Vapes Bill: What you need to know
The government has introduced the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, as set out in the King’s Speech. This will be the biggest public health intervention in a generation – breaking the cycle of addiction and disadvantage and putting us on track …
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Meet the GSE award winners
Interview with Kate Whitehead, Diversity and Inclusion award winner At the GSE Conference, we celebrated excellence in science and engineering by recognising outstanding contributions across government. There were awards in different categories, with eight key awards in total. We sat …
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GOV.UK Chat: Understanding and addressing jailbreaking in our generative AI experiment
Learn how we’re addressing the risk of our experimental chatbot being manipulated to produce unintended or harmful responses.
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We’re running a private beta of GOV.UK Chat
This month we’re beginning an experimental pilot of our AI-powered chatbot. Here’s what we’ve been doing since our last update about GOV.UK Chat and what’s happening now.
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Codes of conduct, independent scrutiny and education - Nolan’s golden threads.
In CSPL’s first report in 1995, Lord Nolan said three ‘golden threads’ were applicable right across all public life to maintain high standards: ‘All public bodies should have a Code of Conduct incorporating the seven principles of public life. Internal …
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Unlocking Accessibility: Content designers share their experience and advice
We asked content designers from various government departments how they initially learned about accessibility and what they wished others would consider when creating accessible content.
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Student fees and maintenance loan increase: what you need to know
Maintenance loans and tuition fees in England are changing in line with inflation to help ensure the financial stability of the university sector. But what does this mean for students and universities?
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Journal article showcases UK NSC workshop on risk stratification in breast screening
A journal article has been published about a UK NSC workshop on risk stratification in breast screening.
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Our approach to Farming Recovery payments
To support farmers affected by Storms Babet, Henk and severe wet weather, we’re providing a one-off Recovery Payment to help cover the uninsured costs of restoring farmland. Payments will range from £2,895 to £25,000, based on the level of damage. Following our announcement this summer, we’re now able to confirm how farmers were selected for this support.
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How we’ll evaluate a site to host a Geological Disposal Facility
A Geological Disposal Facility – or GDF – is the best solution to permanently dispose of our most radioactive waste. We’ve developed a robust process for choosing where a GDF could be built and at the moment, we’re actively engaging …