
HMRC adds 565 civil servants with ‘skills in short supply’ after dissolution of in-house IT provider RCDTS
Almost three quarters of former tech company’s employees have formally joined tax agency – with

Sopra Steria pays £82m to buy Cabinet Office out of shared-services joint venture
Department will reinvest £57m into government productivity and streamlining programmes – as well as returning

Terrorism: Government keeping tabs on potential for radicalising chatbots, minister says
Tom Tugendhat claims that the Home Office ‘engages regularly’ with companies creating artificial intelligence tools,

Scottish Government puts funding into IoT scheme
Ongoing backing announced for IoT Secure programme, which works with SMEs and start-up firms to

AI minister turns to ‘very helpful’ ChatGPT to summarise legislation
DSIT minister Viscount Camrose acknowledges that automated technology can often ‘tread a line between fun

Home Office retains blanket ban on data disposal
All-encompassing embargo on destruction of files is no longer needed, but policy will remain in

Military crime unit deploys software for ‘urgent investigations’ after Afghanistan inquiry hears of civilian murders and cover-up
To support military justice teams’ response to ongoing independent probe, Ministry of Defence directly awards

National Archives offers £145k salary for CEO to deliver ‘near-contemporary digital records at scale’
National record keeping agency opens recruitment for a new leader to oversee its ongoing transformation

‘A threat to our fundamental freedoms’ – MPs and peers voice opposition to live facial recognition
Large group of parliamentarians calls for all police forces and private companies to immediately stop

‘Not good enough’ – government declines to create new digital exclusion unit and strategy
With almost 10 years elapsed since ministers last set out a dedicated plan, a parliamentary

GDS leads audit of GOV.UK content after MPs flag ‘racist language’ in departmental documents
Cabinet Office unit had been tasked with combing through government’s website to identify and help

EXCL: HMRC creating contingency plan in case technical issues prevent traders meeting March customs migration deadline
CHIEF system is scheduled to close on 30 March, but PublicTechnology understands department will establish

DSIT reveals £1m post-DCMS roadmap to move users’ IT from Google to Microsoft
Another department plans to switch software vendors as contract with consultancy comes into effect today

Corruption watchdog warns on ‘very weak’ transparency regime
The departing head of the Committee on Standards in Public Life has urged government to

UK Space Agency opens up satellite data to boost businesses
Government body unveils new multimillion-pound programme, which includes training and network and opportunities for UK

Home Office gauges ‘market appetite for taking on’ legacy police intel database
Department publishes notice outlining need to ‘ensure continuity’ of national system for sharing information on

CDDO seeks senior duo of experts to ‘help government use AI safely and effectively’
Central technology unit opens recruitment for two ‘lead technologists’ roles offering an annual pay pack

Report warns of IT issues and data gaps on Homes for Ukraine scheme
An assessment by the National Audit Office has praised the speed with which programme was