GOV.UK blogs

Coverage on Hunting Trophies Bill

There has been coverage in The Times  today on the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill.

We are supporting the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill, which will deliver our commitment to ban the import of hunting trophies from endangered animals. This comprehensive ban will cover all species considered to be at risk from the international trade, including elephants, giraffes, rhinos, big cats, bears, primates and hippos.

Launch of the Chalk Stream Strategy’s Implementation Plan by Charles Rangeley-Wilson, Chair of the Chalk Stream Restoration Group

Launch of the Chalk Stream Strategy’s Implementation Plan by Charles Rangeley-Wilson, Chair of the Chalk Stream Restoration Group

MMO joins Operation Seabird 2023 and encourages everyone to act responsibly around marine wildlife

Here in the UK we are never far away from the coastline. Our stunning shores, sandy beaches and coastal paths attract millions of visitors every year. This brings an economic boost to local communities, and alongside the growth of staycations …

Tree planting grows in England

Today we are looking  at the latest government tree planting statistics published by the Forestry Commission.

Working to improve Norfolk’s chalk streams

Today, as the Chalk Stream Restoration Strategy (CSRS) Implementation Plan, is officially launched, our Norfolk catchment coordinator Amy Prendergast tells us about some partnership projects she has worked on to help improve chalk streams in Norfolk. As a catchment coordinator …

Property and Landowners – how to avoid waste criminals

Criminals operating in the waste industry impact us all. They cause damage to our environment, distress affected communities and undercut legitimate waste businesses. As a land or property owner, you are at risk too. Waste criminals may offer you cash …

CDDO is an exciting place for a technologist like me

In our latest CDDO blog you can learn more about the Chief Technology Officer for UK Government, David Knott including his return to the Civil Service and priorities for the months ahead.

Our position on income forgone

Today there has been inaccurate coverage of Defra’s position on income foregone plus costs in Farmers Weekly. The piece claims that Minister Spencer and Defra have “rowed back” on moving beyond income foregone plus costs as the basis for payments …

Celebrating Pride Month...

Pride Month is a time to celebrate and honour the resilience, diversity, and accomplishments of the LGBT+ community. It is also an opportunity to reflect on the importance of inclusive social work practice when working with individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.

UK Space Agency to bring its 'Space for Everyone' STEAM tour to Swansea

The UK Space Agency will be docking its 72 ft model rocket on Museum Park, Swansea, from 22 June to 26 June, bringing the awe-inspiring 'Space for Everyone’ tour to the region.

Dounreay Managing Director experiences 'hands-on' decommissioning

Mark Rouse recently had the opportunity to try his hand at being an airfed suit operator in the training simulator at Dounreay. “I think it was a few years ago when I was first at Dounreay, I expressed an interest …

Level 3 VTQ Action Plan: the road to results

Ofqual’s vocational and technical qualifications (VTQ) Action Plan for Level 3 results in 2023 sets out steps to help students get results on time this August.   Delivering timely results to students relies on a combined effort from everyone in the …

Streamlining official searches for software connected to HM Land Registry

Our application programming interfaces, known as Business Gateway, are a key part of our plans to invest in transforming digital services. Find out about the enhancements we've made to help reduce errors, increase accuracy and save time.

Improving responsible access to demographic data to address bias

Following our review into bias in algorithmic decision-making, the CDEI has been exploring challenges around access to demographic data for detecting and mitigating bias in AI systems, and considering potential solutions to address these challenges.  Today we are publishing our …

Fairness Innovation Challenge: Call for Use Cases

Building and using AI systems fairly can be challenging, but is hugely important if the potential benefits from better use of AI are to be achieved.  Recognising this, the government's recent white paper “A pro-innovation approach to AI regulation” proposes …

Evaluation of NHS newborn screening for SCID extended to March 2024

The practical evaluation of screening for severe combined immunodeficiency in English NHS services is being extended until the end of March 2024. Interim data from the evaluation is encouraging.

Being a prison officer isn't just a job, it's a whole new career

Joining HMPPS as a prison officer gives you a range of opportunities for your career.    Ricky started in the role 20 years ago, before training to join the Physical Education (PE) department. Today, he heads up PE and wellbeing offer …

Celebrating our Sellafield LGBTQ+ champions

With Pride month well underway, we've talked to one of our LGBTQ+ champions, Isabella, to understand the importance of our LGBTQ+ network at Sellafield.

Overview of crime statistics: the Crime Survey for England and Wales and police recorded crime  

About This factsheet presents a summary of crime statistics in the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) and police recorded crime which are used together in the new Digital Crime and Performance Pack tool created to develop a more …

Data Engineering Hackathon 2022

At the end of last year, MoJ’s Data Engineering teams got together in Shoreditch for our largest ever 2 day hackathon. We had three teams, each working on a separate project which would incorporate technology the organisation wished to investigate. …

One year into fisheries management measures for English offshore MPAs

On 13 June 2022, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) introduced new byelaws to protect four offshore marine protected areas (MPAs) from damaging fishing activity. This marked a significant step in our work to assess and appropriately manage fishing activities to …

Let’s make nuclear waste permanently safe, sooner

Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) is more than nuclear waste management. It’s about ensuring a safer future for us all by protecting our planet through better human stewardship. I passionately believe in the importance of innovative and strategic nuclear decommissioning and …

Making a positive change: PDF to HTML

As communicators, we must take care to make our content as easy to understand and accessible as possible.

Join RPA at agricultural shows this Summer and Autumn

RPA travels around the country throughout the year to attend a variety of agricultural shows. Our presence at these events allows us to have valuable face-to-face contact with a wide range of farmers, gaining their insight and feedback on existing …

Coverage on dangerous dogs

There has been continued coverage on dangerous dogs, including in The Mirror as part of their Time for Action on Dangerous Dogs campaign. The campaign calls for a ‘Jack Lis Law’, named in honour of the 10-year-old tragically killed by a dog.

Pollution prevention visit Northamptonshire

In my role as an Environment Officer in the Lincolnshire land and water team I cover a range of topics from abstraction licenses to inspecting sewage treatment works and attending incidents.

How we are ensuring young people have access to great music education

This post was updated on 12/06/2023 Learning about music and having the opportunity to play musical instruments and make music together is a vital part of a rich and rounded education. It has been proven that music plays a key …

How are Ofsted inspections changing?

Ofsted has announced changes to how school inspections are carried out to reduce pressures on teachers and school leaders.   Ofsted provides independent, up to date evaluations on the quality of education, behaviour, personal development, safeguarding, and leadership, which schools and …

How we are supporting mental health services in England

The government is dedicated to improving the nation’s mental health and wellbeing, particularly for people who experience worse outcomes than the general population. This is how we are transforming mental health services in England. How is the government investing in …

Finding new and improved ways of solving problems with code - a conversation with ONS Data Scientists

Our latest intake for Data Scientists has just gone live and it's a great opportunity to join a leading organisation in the Data Science field where you'll work on critical projects producing statistics for the public good. We ask Jeb and Vondy, two of our Data Scientists, about the role, the work, the ONS and why you should consider a career with us.

Summer days and night-shining clouds: The night sky in June

The summer solstice falls on 21 June, marking the start of astronomical summer. Despite the shorter nights, there are many wonderful sights to look out for this month.

When is results day 2023? GCSEs, A levels, T Levels and VTQs

In August, students in England will find out their results for GCSEs, A levels, T Levels and VTQ (vocational technical qualifications) exams. Ahead of results day, schools, colleges and assessment centres should contact students directly to tell them how and …

Studland Bay: Why you need a licence to search for seahorses

It was great to see coverage of the conservation efforts at Studland Bay on BBC’s Springwatch programme (episode 7) recently. The show, which aired on 7 June, highlighted the need to protect the area’s precious seagrass – home to protected …

Showcasing the NDA group's decommissioning expertise on an international stage

From Professor Melanie Brownridge, NDA Technology and Innovation Director Last month I attended the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Conference on Nuclear Decommissioning in Vienna. The event brought together around 450 decommissioning experts from around the world to discuss achievements, …

GSE Leadership Values: Collaboration

As a science leader, one of the key skills you need is the ability to collaborate with others. At the heart of this, you need to be a great communicator; someone who can explain complex information that can be understood …

Spotlight on: DDaT Data Analysts

A chance for the Data Analysts to meet in person and have our first team day of 2023.

September secondment opportunities for competition and consumer lawyers

We are launching a new round of secondment opportunities for lawyers, to start on 18 September 2023.

Carers Week 2023: crunching the numbers...

Emily Holzhausen OBE, Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Carers UK, believes we need to think and plan differently for people with unpaid caring responsibilities. Carers Week is an opportunity to look at the scale of caring responsibilities and consider how to we can create more effective support for carers.

Ofsted's webinars for schools - summer season

We're happy to invite you to hear directly from Ofsted in our summer webinars. We wanted to start by thanking everyone who attended or watched our schools webinars in spring. So far this year we've hosted webinars looking at: EIF …

Celebrating World Ocean Day 2023: Building Partnerships for Planet Ocean

World Ocean Day is an annual event celebrated on 08 June that not only serves as a day of observance but also fosters collaboration and encourages year-round conservation action. This global celebration unites individuals and organisations from around the world, …