NHS staff who gain unauthorised access to patients' electronic records could be sacked, face criminal charges or be fined thousands of pounds, the Department of Health said this week.
One day soon, the British public are going to wake up and find that their prime minister has changed. But will they be able to tell the difference between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown? Tony Travers...
The first corporate manslaughter case against a council was thrown out because of the need to identify a 'controlling mind'. But there is no room for complacency, as a new law may shift the balance...
Council leaders met ministers in the new government for the first time this week just one day after a far-reaching programme of legislation was laid out in the Queen's Speech.
It's not just politicians who have a problem with trust. There's also declining confidence in public services. Alex Klaushofer asks whether reputation management is the answer
The most august Whitehall department has a long history of failing to perform and is clearly out of its depth on major issues, argues this former government adviser. Would we not be better off...
Electronically tagging offenders is a costly and ineffectual practice that does little more than line the pockets of the private companies that administer it, according to the probation officers'...
Politicians have been doing battle over the need for public sector efficiency savings. But councils are already teaming up with their neighbours and other public bodies to make major economies of...
Whatever the election outcome, the fate of the deputy prime minister's department hangs in the balance. Peter Hetherington predicts some delicate times ahead for the office running Whitehall-town...
Returning officers are calling for television advertisements to be aired in the run-up to the general election to show people how to use their postal votes.
Scotland Yard detectives are investigating an allegation of serious fraud at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister believed to involve almost £1m, the Metropolitan Police has confirmed.
In just four years, the capital's bus network has got bigger, better and faster with millions more passenger journeys each year. David Harding reports on London Buses, the command and control team...
Ken Hunter is a firefighter with a difference, as he also helps steer children and young offenders away from a life of car crime and arson. After 26 years in the fire service, he has just picked up...
In the run-up to the general election on May 5, the Crown Prosecution Service has confirmed that it is already investigating 39 separate cases of possible election fraud.
Ministry of Defence outsourcing came under fire again this week when it emerged that three private consortiums had been shortlisted for £18bn in staff training contracts, while in-house bids were...
As the 2005 election's battle of the budgets hots up with accusations of tax and spend black holes flying to and fro Tony Travers asks whether it's still the economy that will determine the...
As the election battle hots up for hearts and minds of 'hard-working families', contradictory messages are emerging about poverty and inequality. Who is telling the truth? The IPPR sifts through the...
Calls for a corporate manslaughter Act have intensified over the years after a series of man-made disasters. Now a draft Bill has been published that could make it much easier to prosecute public...
Business leaders have 'no faith' in the government's efficiency programme or in its ability to deliver promises on reforms to public services, the CBI has warned.