Tamsin Rutter
PublicTechnology.net
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Past articles by Tamsin:
Digital profession head should sit on Civil Service Board, think tank recommends
Credit: reynermedia/Flickr/CC BY 2.0 The Institute for Government has called for Whitehall’s head of function for digital, data and technology (DDaT) to be given a new job description that focuses more heavily on implementing the government’s digital transformation plans. The think tank said the role, currently held by director general of the Government Digital Service Kevin Cunnington, should… → Read More
National Crime Agency flags up need for more big data skills
The National Crime Agency’s second-in-command wants the organisation to build the data and analytics skills of its investigators to help combat rising cybercrime. Deputy director general Nina Cope said that, as “more and more threat is going online”, the agency needs to ensure the technology and data expertise of its investigators keeps pace with that of the criminals they pursue. Responding the… → Read More
Cabinet Office ‘lacks leverage’ to ensure procurement best practice – PAC
The Cabinet Office needs to “ensure its authority is better felt” in procurement by making its contracting guidelines mandatory for departments, MPs have said. The Public Accounts Committee said that following the collapse of contractor Carillion it is crucial that government embeds procurement best practice in departments. In a new report, the committee found that current processes incentivise… → Read More
Windrush scandal fallout sees Home Office suspend data-sharing activities
Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA The Home Office has announced a three-month pause to “proactive data sharing” between government departments to prevent members of the Windrush generation getting caught up in policies aimed at curbing illegal immigration. Home secretary Sajid Javid said there would be a freeze in the so-called “hostile environment” immigration policy, including a pause in data sharing… → Read More
Whitehall tech policy advisor rocks up on Love Island
The newest participant on reality TV show Love Island is a civil servant who has helped develop government policy on renewable energy technology. Zara McDermott, who now works at the Department for Education and whose LinkedIn profile describes her as a post-16 education policy advisor, joined the show on Sunday. But she failed to tell her Whitehall employers she would be appearing on Love… → Read More
Work on customs system 'on track', vows HMRC chief
Credit: HMRC The chief executive of HM Revenue and Customs has told MPs that the tax agency “remains on track” to scale up its customs system to cope with an expected fivefold workload increase following Brexit. Permanent secretary Jon Thompson wrote to Meg Hillier, the chair of the Commons’ Public Accounts Committee (PAC), to update her on progress made on the programme, which he said had been… → Read More
Lords urge government to develop national AI strategy
Whitehall should give AI developers more access to public data and amend procurement rules to prevent the power of “data monopolies” such as Amazon and Facebook from snowballing, a Lords committee has said. It urged government to develop a national policy framework for AI, closely linked to the Industrial Strategy that was published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy… → Read More
Department for Transport develops AI tool for handling correspondence
The Department for Transport has developed a prototype of a system that can allocate correspondence to the teams which are best placed to answer it. The department receives 70,000 pieces of correspondence a year, including questions from MPs and emails from the public, most of which require a response. Zach Arundel, a civil servant working in the DfT Lab, said machine learning had been developed… → Read More
ONS takes the lead on UN project to gather data on ageing population
The Office for National Statistics is to lead an international team of statisticians from governments, civil society and academia working together to collect data on the global ageing population. The United Nations – which prioritised the need to address ageing-related issues through its Sustainable Development Goals – accepted a proposal to set up the working group, the ONS announced yesterday.… → Read More
CCS chief executive Harrison to leave Whitehall
Credit: Louise Haywood-Schiefer Malcolm Harrison, chief executive of the Crown Commercial Service, is to leave government for the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply in July. Harrison (pictured above) has headed up the Cabinet Office executive agency since 2016, overseeing an annual spend of £13bn, but will leave for a role CCS said he “simply couldn't refuse”. The Chartered Institute… → Read More
Whitehall should embrace, not fear automation, says civil service CEO
Credit: Cabinet Office For the civil service, “process automation is something to embrace rather than fear”, according to the organisation’s chief executive. In a speech this week outlining the steps Whitehall is taking to become “the best civil service in the world”, John Manzoni (pictured above) pointed out progress in tech in delivering Universal Credit and “the biggest courts reform… → Read More
Government to ramp up social-media skills in bid to ‘tackle false information’ online
The Cabinet Office plans to introduce a new team of social media experts to combat the spread of fake news online. Alex Aiken, the executive director for government communications, said that changes to the way news is shared have presented new challenges for government communicators, who must react while continuing to be a reliable source of information. He said one of the aims of the Government… → Read More
Geospatial Commission launched to 'turn government data into jobs and savings'
Data from Ordnance Survey will be available through the Geospatial Commission The government has announced it is to create a new Geospatial Commission that will develop a strategy for releasing more of the location data held by public bodies so businesses can use it to boost economic growth. The commission will bring together officials from the Land Registry, the Ordnance Survey, the Valuation… → Read More
Another delay for MoJ’s troubled satellite tagging project
The Ministry of Justice will not deploy new satellite tracking tags for offenders until 2019, despite the embattled project having already been delayed by five years to late 2018. Senior officials admitted to a host of failures regarding the project, which had to be heavily scaled back following the termination last year of a contract with an SME to develop “one of the most advanced GPS tagging… → Read More
Whitehall needs cross-government robotics R&D approach – PAC
Government must make better use of data to identify funding gaps Credit: Fotolia The civil service lacks strategic oversight of funding into areas such as robotics and combating climate change, according to the UK’s public spending watchdog. A National Audit Office report published today found that nobody in government was coordinating research activity in certain “areas of national importance”,… → Read More
Welsh Government launches ‘innovation directory’ resource for policymakers
A website created for the Welsh Government that maps innovation in Wales by using a range of data sets has been launched today to help civil servants develop more informed economic growth policy. The tool, developed by the Welsh Government and innovation charity Nesta, aims to provide policymakers and economists that often rely on once-yearly official surveys with more accurate and timely… → Read More
Department for International Trade’s ‘pioneering’ digital services ‘will boost British exports’
The Department for International was created last year - at a cost of £1.4m - following the Brexit vote Credit: DIT A top official at the Department for International Trade has said “pioneering” work in digital will help boost the low number of British exporters, but he also conceded that access to data in this area was “not ideal”. Paul McComb, transition programme director at the Department… → Read More
New investigatory powers commissioner to oversee all forms of government surveillance
The first ever investigatory powers commissioner officially starts work this month overseeing and regulating the use of surveillance by public authorities, including intelligence agencies, HMRC, and other Whitehall departments. Lord Justice Fulford, the senior presiding judge for England and Wales and now investigatory powers commissioner, has been tasked with ensuring the lawfulness of acts of… → Read More
Nurse job interview tips: top nine questions and answers
Recruiters reveal what they ask when hiring new staff – and the answers they hope to hear → Read More
The EU cities helping Libya's local authorities provide vital public services
Libya’s elected mayors are developing much-needed public services like waste disposal with support from European cities, including Nicosia → Read More