The head of the United Kingdom Civil Service, Simon Case, is facing
pressure from Ministers to bring forward his departure date, amid anger over a
series of damaging leaks and briefings.
In a sign of
how low relations between the Government and Mr Case (pictured) have sunk, the
Cabinet Secretary has been privately accused of failing to get a handle on
leaks about donations funding clothes for Prime Minister, Sir Keir
Starmer and his wife, and rows involving the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff,
Sue Gray.
It is
understood that Ministers and senior officials of Sir Keir’s office have become
so frustrated with the leaks, including on internal appointments and donations,
that they have raised informal complaints in meetings.
Mr Case is
expected to leave his job in January, but there has been no formal
announcement.
A Cabinet
Office spokesperson said: “We take the unauthorised disclosure of information
very seriously and take appropriate action where necessary.”
There have
been embarrassing briefings about Ms Gray allegedly preventing access to Sir
Keir, including on security matters, which has been denied, as well as her
alleged push to fund a rebuild of Casement Park in West Belfast.
Speaking to
reporters on a visit to Italy, Sir Keir rejected suggestions that questions
around whether he failed to declare donations of clothes for his wife,
Victoria, could have been avoided if the Government had a corruption adviser.
“There’s a
massive difference between declarations and corruption. Declarations are about
declaring properly so you and everybody else can see properly-made
declarations,” he said.
Mr Case is
expected to say he intends to leave in the New Year owing
to health reasons. Once the departure date is fixed, a formal process can begin,
including the involvement of the Civil Service Commission.
*********
Chaos
greets Canadian three-day office return
OTTAWA (September 15): Canadian Federal Public Servants
have begun their mandated three days per week in the office, amid traffic
chaos, lack of office space, and simmering tensions.
It appears that a Government-inspired publicity
campaign spruiking the benefits of office working have done nothing to quell
workers’ resentment.
In May, the Federal Government announced
workers must return to the office for at least three days a week — previously
it was two — starting in mid-September. Executives must now be
in the office for at least four days a week.
Unions have been vowing to fight the ruling ever
since it was announced.
Workers in the National Capital Region faced
traffic snarls, lack of office space, and parking, and a flare-up over spending
at downtown businesses.
Radio Canada contacted some 15 Federal Departments
about the return. Some acknowledged they couldn't meet the demand for
office space.
Public Servants who contacted CBC Ottawa said they
haven't been able to find seating close to their own teams and had experienced
problems with a desk--booking system.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC)
National Capital Region Chapter initially issued a call to its
members to "buy nothing" in the downtown when they returned
to the office, based on the idea that the move was part of a
strategy to boost businesses in the central business district.
"The needs of the downtown core shouldn't fall
on the backs of workers and the Federal Public Service," the union said.
"How workers spend their money on in-office
days will send a clear message to politicians."
The PSAC encouraged members to pack a lunch
and shop in their own neighbourhoods as much as possible.
Ottawa Mayor, Mark Sutcliffe hit back, saying downtown
businesses were not responsible for decisions about back to work.
"They've suffered significantly as a result of
the pandemic. Let's keep them out of the line of fire. Let's support them and
support a thriving downtown," Mr Sutcliffe said.
Vice President of PSAC's Chapter, Ruth Lau
MacDonald later retracted the union’s original statement.
"I want to be very clear we are not calling
for a boycott of downtown businesses, and I apologise for the impact and
confusion this miscommunication has caused," Ms MacDonald said.
*********
Ministry to test Japanese Councils’ security
TOKYO
(September 19): Japan’s Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry is
planning to test the security of Local Government computer networks with a
series of mock cyber-attacks next year.
The measure
is aimed at strengthening Local Governments’ security by checking system
vulnerabilities. The Ministry sought funds for the project without specifying
the amount in its budget request for the year starting in April 2025.
It follows
the recent attack on media and digital business group, Kadokawa Corporation,
which was hit with a ransomware demand after personal information of some
250,000 people was stolen.
Local Governments’
computer systems are equipped with measures to prevent network intrusions when
they detect unauthorised access or suspicious emails.
The security
was enhanced in response to a system breach that struck the Government’s Japan
Pension Service in 2015.
There are
worries that residents’ personal information would be compromised if
vulnerabilities are left unnoticed in the security systems of Local Governments.
The Ministry
hopes to identify any weaknesses in so-called penetration tests that simulate
attacks via the internet. The tests will be modelled on similar checks
conducted on Central Government Agencies.
In a
statement, the Ministry said the tests would be conducted in a way that does
not affect resident services.
It will ask
participating Local Governments about their problems and requests before the
targets and methods of mock attacks are decided.
*********
Judge
says bets on US election can go ahead
WASHINGTON (September 16): A Federal judge has overturned
a prohibition on gambling on the results of United States elections imposed by
the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
In November, the CFTC
was sued by New York-based Kalshi, which operates a predictions
market that allows users to bet on the outcome of various events, from the
volume of recorded bird flu cases to the number of cars produced by Tesla.
Kalshi filed a lawsuit seeking
to overturn a CFTC decision preventing it from offering bets on
whether the Democratic or Republican parties would control the two chambers of
Congress.
Judge Jia Cobb has now
ruled in favour of Kalshi, denying a CFTC motion asking he delay his decision
to allow it time to appeal, which means betting can begin at once.
The debate over whether
betting on the elections should be allowed in the US runs back decades. At
the moment, the practice is illegal under the laws of numerous
states, like Texas and Nevada, but not everywhere.
The CFTC has so
far refused to grant gambling platforms a license to offer odds on
election results, amounting to a de facto ban.
Organisations that lobby
against the legalisation of election betting claim the practice would encourage
meddling by malign actors.
Chief Executive of non-profit organisation,
Better Markets, Dennis Kelleher said the trust and confidence of Americans in the
election system was already at a very low point.
“The last thing we need is for
people to be incentivised to interfere with the election process. There can be
no doubt, when there are hundreds of millions of dollars on the line, people
are going to be incentivised to engage in conduct that interferes with the
elections,” Mr Kelleher said.
The CFTC did not respond to the
judge’s ruling, but in a previous statement, Chair, Rostin Behnam said
betting involving political events ultimately commoditised and degraded the
integrity of the American experience of participating in the democratic
electoral process.
*********
NZ targets missed on crime, education
WELLINGTON
(September 18): New Zealand’s Coalition Government is missing two of the nine Public Service targets it set
itself when coming to office..
In
its first quarterly report marking progress on the goals established in April,
the Government has identified education and reducing violent crime as the biggest
problem areas.
A
target of 20,000 fewer people ending up as victims of a violent crime has
instead recorded 30,000 more victims, as of June.
As
of term four last year, schools recorded just 22 per cent of Year 8 students at
the expected maths level, and 47 per cent at the expected reading level.
Progress
has been made, however, in emergency housing, school attendance, and shorter
stays at hospital emergency departments.
Prime
Minister, Christopher Luxon acknowledged the targets were "deliberately
ambitious", saying these results showed they would be challenging to
achieve, while insisting the Government was up for it.
"Our
Government reinstated targets to focus our public sector on driving better
results for New Zealanders in health, education, law and order, work, housing,
and the environment by 2030," Mr Luxon said.
“We
have made particularly good progress on emergency housing. Our plan to get
children and families out of motels and into a home is working.”
However,
he accepted the target of reducing violent crime was of particular concern with
the results showing almost 30,000 more people had experienced it based on the
New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey.
"It
adds fresh weight to previous data from police, which showed a concerning rise
in reports of violent crime in recent years. It is also further proof that the
previous soft-on-crime approach has emboldened offenders and created a crime
wave that will take a much tougher approach to stop," Mr Luxon said.
The
next update on how the targets are tracking is expected before the end of the
year.
*********
Mexican militarisation push continues
MEXICO CITY (September 19): Mexican lawmakers from
the ruling Morena Party are preparing to pass legislation that amends the
Constitution, allowing the National Guard to be placed under military control.
They are seeking to do this before President Andrés
Manuel López Obrador ends his six-year term on October 1, delivering a
much-desired farewell gift to the 70-year-old leader.
Morena’s leader in the Chamber of Deputies, Ricardo
Monreal, said a vote on the reform proposal that Mr López Obrador sent to
Congress in February could be held in the next few days.
Morena and its allies have a super-majority in the
Chamber of Deputies that allows them to change the Constitution without the
support of opposition parties.
In late 2022, the Congress approved a
Bill backed by Mr López Obrador that paved the way for the National Guard
to be placed under the control of the army.
However, the Supreme Court ruled in April
2023 that the transfer of control from the civilian Security Ministry to
the army was unconstitutional, a decision that angered the President, who argued
that the National Guard needed to be under the control of the military to
prevent corruption and guarantee the force’s professionalism.
Government critics and some human rights
organisations say the transfer is another example of the militarisation of
Mexico that has occurred during the current Government.
Human Rights Watch has warned the Government’s
militarised security policy risks facilitating abuses by security forces while
failing to reduce violent crime.
Mr López Obrador has relied heavily on the armed
forces during his term, using the different branches of the military for public
security, infrastructure construction, and the management of ports, airports
and customs offices.
*********
AI
failure hitting public sector productivity
LONDON (September
14): Research by the Global Government Forum (GGF) has revealed that while
Public Servants worldwide face a pressing productivity challenge, many Government
organisations are lagging on the adoption of technology, particularly artificial
intelligence (AI), to drive improvements.
The GGF’s new
report, Solving the Public Services
Productivity Puzzle, found that nine in 10 officials believe their
organisations face productivity challenges, with 56 per cent characterising it
as significant or very significant.
Featuring examples
from Government organisations in Canada, Brazil, the United Kingdom and Singapore,
the report explores the scale and nature of the productivity challenge and the
strategies being deployed to tackle it.
In the survey of
Public Servants, the biggest reasons cited for the productivity challenge were
limited staff (81 per cent), difficulty in meeting new demands (80 per cent),
limited budget (73 per cent), and a backlog of work (69 per cent).
The results also
revealed significant untapped potential. Despite 80 per cent of respondents expecting
technology to have a significant impact on productivity, just 31 per cent had
seen technology introduced to boost productivity within the past year.
The survey revealed
that 44 per cent of respondents expected AI to boost productivity in their
organisation.
However, a third
said they did not know whether it would, suggesting a greater role for
education, training and experimentation.
The report found the
productivity challenge facing Government organisations was significant and
complex, concluding: “Addressing this requires a multifaceted approach that
leverages the latest technology while also taking into account human and
organisational factors.”
It said an essential
foundation was for Government organisations to create a culture for innovation
so that teams could experiment with technologies, such as AI, which offered significant
potential to boost productivity.
*********
SA public sector demands
‘unaffordable’
PRETORIA
(September 12): The South African Government rejected a demand by public sector
workers for a 12 per cent pay increase, saying it is unaffordable, and offering
three per cent instead.
General
Secretary at the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council, Frikkie de
Bruin said the demand by Public Service unions would require R140 billion ($A12
billion) and be "totally out of budget".
In
addition to the 12 per cent increase Public Servants are seeking a R2,500 ($A210)
increase in their housing allowance. They have also called for a danger
allowance to be raised to R1,000 ($A84) from the R597 ($A50).
Mr De
Bruin said talks would resume in the first week of October ahead of Finance
Minister, Enoch Godongwana’s mid-term Budget update, expected on 30 October.
*********
Another election for
Senegalese voters
DAKAR
(September 16): Senegal’s President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye has
dissolved the Opposition-led Parliament, paving the way for a snap legislative
election six months after he was voted in on an anti-establishment platform.
Mr
Faye said the election would take place on November 17 and asked voters to give
his party a mandate so that he can carry out the “systemic transformation that
I promised”.
Analysts
said Mr Faye’s political party, PASTEF, had a high chance of securing a
majority given his popularity and his margin of victory in the March
Presidential Election.
The
Benno Bokk Yaakar Opposition, led by former President, Macky Sall condemned the
move, saying Mr Faye had convened Parliament under false pretences in order to
announce the dissolution.
*********
Bureaucracy
attracting young Filipinos
MANILA (September 13): The Philippines Civil
Service Commission (CSC) says more Filipinos are recognising the benefits of
joining the Public Service and of working in Government generally.
Commission Chair, Karlo Alexei Nograles said the
highest interest was coming from the younger generation who saw how Government
carried on during the COVID-19 pandemic, while private offices were forced to
shut, leaving employees without salaries.
“During the recent Civil Service examinations, half
of the examinees were between 18 and 25 years old,” Mr Nograles said
“It showed many from the new generation are really keen
on becoming a Civil Servant.”
*********
Belarus condemns ‘Pokémon Go spies’
MINSK (September 17): The Belarus Defence Ministry
has accused the once popular mobile game, Pokémon Go, of being an instrument of
Western intelligence.
Head of the Ideological Work Department at the
Ministry, Alexander Ivanov claimed the game was used to collect information
about Belarusian aviation near Minsk, at its height of popularity nearly a
decade ago.
“Where do you think there were the most Pokémon at
that time? On the territory of the 50th air base, where the runway is, where
there is a lot of military aviation equipment. That’s where there were the most
Pokémon. Is this not intelligence information?” Mr Ivanov asked.
He brought up Pokémon Go during a discussion about
objects most likely to be targeted by spies during a television talk show.
Pokémon Go is an augmented reality game, released
in 2016, that allowed its millions of players to use their smartphones to
capture digital Pokémon (make-believe animals with superpowers) in the physical
world.
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