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Public Services

UK audit office report finds multiple failings in PPE procurement

The UK government set up a “high priority lane” favouring companies referred by senior officials, ministers, parliamentarians and public servants in its PPE procurements, according to a new report from […]

New strategy for evaluating needs of indigenous people proposed in Australia

A dedicated office should be established to ensure that government policy evaluations always consider the interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, a new Australian strategy proposes. The model […]

UK to score ‘social value’ in awarding contracts

The UK government has announced new measures to deliver social value through public procurement. The model, announced by the Cabinet Office last month, will require government departments to assess and […]

The price of success: UK health chief Chris Wormald on what the NHS can’t do

Marking the Department of Health and Social Care’s 100th birthday, its permanent secretary Chris Wormald both lauded its achievements, and highlighted its limitations. For while health services have radically extended […]

UK Supreme Court ruling set to boost pensions for 4m public servants

A landmark ruling by the UK Supreme Court on judges’ and firefighters’ pensions could have enormous implications for the wider public sector. In 2018, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and […]

Trump drops forest centre cuts plan

The Trump administration has reversed its decision to close or outsource US Forest Service training centres, following bipartisan opposition from Congress. Under the plans, responsibility for the Job Corps Civilian […]

Irish civil service union calls for cut in working hours

The Irish government’s failure to cut the working hours of more junior civil servants has created “a two-tier public service”, the incoming head of the country’s largest public sector union […]

Brazilian department urges president-elect to curb civil service salaries

Salaries of government workers should be brought into line with those of the private sector, according to an official report handed to the president-elect of Brazil. The right-wing former army […]

APS commissioner outlines vision for more flexible civil service

The new Australian Public Service (APS) commissioner has outlined a vision of a more “permeable” civil service in his first public speech. Peter Woolcott was appointed by former prime minister […]

OECD launches open consultation on public service leadership and capability

The OECD has launched an online consultation on a set of 14 principles designed to help countries create a “fit-for-purpose public service”, with a particular emphasis on recruiting and developing […]