Recommendations & Conclusions
14 items
2
Conclusion
Seventy-Sixth Report - The Asylum Trans…
Accepted
The focus on streamlining decision-making may inadvertently lead to more flawed decisions, or the withdrawal of genuine asylum claims. The Home Office is now collecting more detailed information through a questionnaire for people from six countries where most claims result in asylum being granted, in the hope that it will …
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The focus on streamlining decision-making may inadvertently lead to more flawed decisions, or the withdrawal of genuine asylum claims. The Home Office is now collecting more detailed information through a questionnaire for people from six countries where most claims result in asylum being granted, in the hope that it will be able to make decisions quicker and without lengthy interviews. The Home Office worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to reform its asylum processes, but we share the UNHCR’s concern that the poor design of the new questionnaire may affect caseworkers’ ability to make the correct decision on a claim. We also note the significant increase in ‘administrative’ decisions, where claims are withdrawn either by the claimant, or directly by the Home Office if someone has not complied with their requirements. We are concerned about how the Home Office will assure itself that it is not incorrectly withdrawing genuine asylum claims, should the significant number of withdrawals persist. Recommendation 2: Alongside its Treasury Minute response the Home Office should write to the Committee setting out: • The number of administrative decisions made each month since the introduction of its streamlined asylum process; 6 The Asylum Transformation Programme • How its internal quality assurance arrangements have changed to reflect the introduction of the streamlined asylum process, what these arrangements have shown about quality of decisions made under the process, and how learning from this has been used; and • What further evaluation of the streamlined asylum process is planned, in particular to ensure that the Home Office makes the right asylum decisions.
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees and confirms that the Home Office has already written to the Committee on 9 January 2024, providing the information requested regarding administrative decisions, quality assurance, and planned evaluations of the streamlined asylum process.
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HM Treasury
4
Conclusion
Seventy-Sixth Report - The Asylum Trans…
Accepted
The Home Office is failing to engage meaningfully with local authorities on decisions that affect their residents and already strained public services. We have previously reported that the Home Office has not adequately engaged with local stakeholders on asylum accommodation. This continues to be the case. The Home Office acknowledged …
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The Home Office is failing to engage meaningfully with local authorities on decisions that affect their residents and already strained public services. We have previously reported that the Home Office has not adequately engaged with local stakeholders on asylum accommodation. This continues to be the case. The Home Office acknowledged that its letters about maximising the use of hotels were to inform local authorities of its decision, not to consult them. It has also sent contradictory letters to councils about how much accommodation it intends to source in local areas, and it seemed to have no practical solutions to progress its ‘place-based-approach’. Worryingly, the lack of coordination between the Home Office and local government means the Home Office is competing with councils and their partners to secure accommodation, driving up prices and exacerbating the homelessness challenges that local authorities already face. Recommendation 4: The Home Office should, as part of its Treasury Minute response, set out how its ‘place-based approach’ will give local authorities a meaningful say on the use of accommodation in their areas, and what specific actions it will take to improve its relationships with local authorities. The Asylum Transformation Programme 7
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees, stating it will run pilots between January and March 2024 in London, Wales, and South West England to test design principles for a revised place-based approach. It also committed to improving relationships through data sharing, individual discussions, and refreshing Full Dispersal plans …
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HM Treasury
1
Conclusion
Seventy-Sixth Report - The Asylum Trans…
Accepted
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Home Office about its asylum and protection transformation programme.1
Government response AI summary
The government, misinterpreting the introductory conclusion as a recommendation, claims it has been implemented by clearing over 112,000 legacy asylum cases in 2023. This was achieved by deploying additional caseworkers, quadrupling decision-makers, and tripling productivity through streamlined processes.
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HM Treasury
7
Recommendation
Seventy-Sixth Report - The Asylum Trans…
Accepted
In the year to April 2023, 25% of caseworkers left their role.15 The Home Office told us the proportion of caseworkers leaving had reduced since the C&AG’s report (published in June 2023) and that some caseworkers leave the role for internal promotions, but it acknowledged that this level of turnover …
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In the year to April 2023, 25% of caseworkers left their role.15 The Home Office told us the proportion of caseworkers leaving had reduced since the C&AG’s report (published in June 2023) and that some caseworkers leave the role for internal promotions, but it acknowledged that this level of turnover is “nowhere near where it needs to be, which is at 7% or 8%”.16 The Home Office also said that it recruits caseworkers through a rolling campaign, so that it will be able to keep the number of caseworkers at 2,500.17
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Government response AI summary
The government accepted the recommendation, confirming it met the target of increasing asylum caseworkers to 2,500 by September 2023 and is continuing rolling recruitment campaigns to maintain these staffing levels.
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HM Treasury
8
Recommendation
Seventy-Sixth Report - The Asylum Trans…
Accepted
The Home Office told us that it has increased the number of decisions caseworkers make by focussing on “bottlenecks” in the system. It said that asylum claims requiring decisions had not been reaching caseworkers quickly enough and, when they did, the claims were not immediately ready to make decisions on. …
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The Home Office told us that it has increased the number of decisions caseworkers make by focussing on “bottlenecks” in the system. It said that asylum claims requiring decisions had not been reaching caseworkers quickly enough and, when they did, the claims were not immediately ready to make decisions on. The Home Office said that removing these bottlenecks had been a “big part” of speeding up decisions.18
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Government response AI summary
The government accepted the recommendation, stating it has implemented fundamental changes resulting in 112,000 asylum decisions and tripled productivity by streamlining processes, and will continue to build on these for the remaining backlog of cases.
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HM Treasury
9
Recommendation
Seventy-Sixth Report - The Asylum Trans…
Accepted
The Home Office also told us about its streamlined asylum process, which is used for people applying for asylum who are from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Sudan.19 It said that this process includes people seeking asylum completing a questionnaire before their interview, meaning interviews can be shorter and …
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The Home Office also told us about its streamlined asylum process, which is used for people applying for asylum who are from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Sudan.19 It said that this process includes people seeking asylum completing a questionnaire before their interview, meaning interviews can be shorter and caseworkers can make more decisions.20 The Home Office’s guidance on the streamlined asylum process says that, where possible, a decision will be taken without an interview.21 The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been supporting the Home Office on some of its work to transform the asylum system.22
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Government response AI summary
The government accepted the recommendation, stating it has been implemented and that the Home Office provided a supporting letter to the Committee on 9 January 2024 addressing the related points.
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HM Treasury
10
Recommendation
Seventy-Sixth Report - The Asylum Trans…
Accepted
However the UNHCR, as well as the Public Law Project and Dr Jo Wilding from the Migration Law Clinic, have raised concerns about the streamlined asylum process questionnaire.23 Though the Home Office told us that it had worked with the UNHCR 10 Home Office, Immigration system statistics: Asylum and Resettlement …
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However the UNHCR, as well as the Public Law Project and Dr Jo Wilding from the Migration Law Clinic, have raised concerns about the streamlined asylum process questionnaire.23 Though the Home Office told us that it had worked with the UNHCR 10 Home Office, Immigration system statistics: Asylum and Resettlement - Asylum seekers in receipt of support: Asy_D09, 24 August 2023 11 C&AG’s Report, para 3.5 ; PM Statement on illegal migration: 13 December 2022, 13 December 202 12 Qq 17, 20, 34 13 Hansard, Illegal Migration Update, 5 September 2023 14 Q 25 15 C&AG’s Report, para 3.6 16 Qq 22, 37 17 Q 36 18 Q 12 19 Q 15, Home Office, Streamlined asylum processing guidance, 16 August 2023 20 Q 12; C&AG’s Report, para 3.11 21 Home Office, Streamlined asylum processing guidance, 16 August 2023 22 TAP0004; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR’s Guide to Asylum Reform in the United Kingdom, 23 February 2021 23 TAP0001; TAP0004; TAP0005 10 The Asylum Transformation Programme to improve the questionnaire, the written evidence we have received indicates that the questionnaires are poorly designed, lack clear instructions and are only available in English.24 Written evidence suggested that some of these weaknesses, along with IT system issues, may mean the Home Office is unable to achieve the expected decision- making increases from the new questionnaires.25
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Government response AI summary
The government accepted the recommendation, stating it has been implemented and that the Home Office provided a supporting letter to the Committee on 9 January 2024 addressing the identified weaknesses in the streamlined asylum process questionnaire.
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HM Treasury
11
Recommendation
Seventy-Sixth Report - The Asylum Trans…
Accepted
When deciding on an asylum claim, the Home Office can make what it calls ‘administrative decisions’ if a person claiming asylum withdraws their claim or if the Home Office decides a claim is ‘implicitly withdrawn’. The Home Office may withdraw a claim if, for example, a person seeking asylum leaves …
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When deciding on an asylum claim, the Home Office can make what it calls ‘administrative decisions’ if a person claiming asylum withdraws their claim or if the Home Office decides a claim is ‘implicitly withdrawn’. The Home Office may withdraw a claim if, for example, a person seeking asylum leaves the UK before the Home Office decides their claim, fails to attend an asylum interview, or fails to complete an asylum questionnaire when asked to do so.26 The poor design, and the requirement to complete the questionnaire in English, may mean that some people are less likely to return the questionnaire, leading the Home Office to decide that an asylum claim has been implicitly withdrawn.27 In April 2023, 72% of asylum decisions made by the Home Office were administrative decisions.28 The Home Office told us that the increase in administrative decisions coincided with it focusing on claims for people from Albania, and that at the time of our evidence session it was making more substantive decisions.29
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the committee's recommendation regarding administrative decisions and states it has been implemented, with further details provided in a letter to the Committee dated 9 January 2024.
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HM Treasury
12
Conclusion
Seventy-Sixth Report - The Asylum Trans…
Accepted
As a result of the changes it has made, the Home Office has increased the number of asylum decisions it makes from an average of 1,310 each week in April 2023, to 1,700 in the first week of July 2023.30 To meet its commitment to clear the legacy backlog by …
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As a result of the changes it has made, the Home Office has increased the number of asylum decisions it makes from an average of 1,310 each week in April 2023, to 1,700 in the first week of July 2023.30 To meet its commitment to clear the legacy backlog by the end of 2023, it will need to increase this and make an average of nearly 2,600 decisions every week from the start of July 2023 to the end of the year.31 We have made this calculation using the number of legacy cases remaining at 30 June 2023 (67,870 decisions) divided by the number of weeks from then to 31 December 2023 (26.3). The Home Office’s analysis suggested that even it if it clears the backlog of legacy claims by the end of 2023, there will still be another backlog of around 84,000 asylum claims that were made after 28 June 2022.32 How addressing the backlog will impact on the wider asylum system
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Government response AI summary
The government states it has met the legacy asylum backlog target by clearing over 112,000 cases in 2023, attributing this to increased caseworkers and tripled productivity. It will continue to build on existing processes for remaining 'flow' cases.
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HM Treasury
16
Conclusion
Seventy-Sixth Report - The Asylum Trans…
Accepted
When we asked the Home Office why it was so far from achieving its accommodation targets, it told us that there is a “huge amount of pressure” for the type of accommodation it is trying to source.44 In written evidence, the Local Government Association (LGA) told us that providers sourcing …
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When we asked the Home Office why it was so far from achieving its accommodation targets, it told us that there is a “huge amount of pressure” for the type of accommodation it is trying to source.44 In written evidence, the Local Government Association (LGA) told us that providers sourcing accommodation for the Home Office compete with councils seeking accommodation for domestic families and people who have resettled in the UK or been granted asylum, which increases prices and distorts local markets.45 The Home Office acknowledged that it was “in similar parts of the market” to councils.46 The LGA told us that homelessness, low social housing stock and an unaffordable private rented sector are “creating a housing crisis”, and that this will make the government’s plans to house people waiting for an asylum decision across all local authorities challenging. The Home Office is planning to implement a ‘place-based approach’ and said it was seeking “to get into a position where [it has] a much closer and ongoing dialogue” with providers and local areas.47 It told us that it would have “meaningful discussions” with every local authority where there is concern about the changes that it is implementing.48
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Government response AI summary
The government disagrees with the committee's 'recommendation' (misunderstanding item type) and outlines its implemented plan to reform the asylum accommodation estate by optimising hotel use, increasing room sharing, expanding dispersed accommodation, and delivering alternative sites, with over 50 hotels planned for closure by January 2024.
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HM Treasury
17
Conclusion
Seventy-Sixth Report - The Asylum Trans…
Accepted
The Home Office also told us that it pays for around 5,000 empty hotel rooms as a ‘buffer’ in case it needs more space than exists at its initial holding facilities such as Manston, where many asylum seekers are first taken when they arrive in the UK.49 This buffer is …
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The Home Office also told us that it pays for around 5,000 empty hotel rooms as a ‘buffer’ in case it needs more space than exists at its initial holding facilities such as Manston, where many asylum seekers are first taken when they arrive in the UK.49 This buffer is on top of what it terms ‘ringfenced hotels’ which it can move people to “quickly as an overflow from Manston before they come into the more permanent estate”, although during our evidence session the Home Office did not set out how many beds it reserved in ringfenced hotels.50 The Home Office said that increasing dispersal 39 C&AG’s Report, paras 4, 1.8 40 PM Statement on illegal migration: 13 December 2022, 13 December 2022 41 C&AG’s Report, para 3.19 42 C&AG’s Report, figure 9 43 Q 59 44 Q 59 45 TAP0006 46 Q 134 47 Q 110 48 Q 94 49 Qq 98–101 50 Qq 98–101 The Asylum Transformation Programme 13 accommodation through the transformation programme was a big part of its plan to increase accommodation supply and reduce hotel use, but that it was also looking to use a number of larger sites as alternative accommodation.51 The Home Office has faced several challenges in securing such accommodation. This has included legal challenges against the use of former military sites and difficulties finding ports that will hold barges.52 Hotel use, safeguarding, and Home Office stakeholder engagement
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Government response AI summary
The government disagrees with the committee's 'recommendation' (misunderstanding item type) and outlines its implemented plan to reform the asylum accommodation estate by optimising hotel use, increasing room sharing, expanding dispersed accommodation, and delivering alternative sites, with over 50 hotels planned for closure by January 2024.
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HM Treasury
20
Conclusion
Seventy-Sixth Report - The Asylum Trans…
Accepted
In our 2020 report Asylum accommodation and support transformation programme, we found that the Home Office had not adequately engaged with local stakeholders on asylum accommodation.60 In response to that report, the Home Office told us that it had taken steps to improve its engagement work.61
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In our 2020 report Asylum accommodation and support transformation programme, we found that the Home Office had not adequately engaged with local stakeholders on asylum accommodation.60 In response to that report, the Home Office told us that it had taken steps to improve its engagement work.61
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees to improve engagement with local stakeholders, committing to running pilots of a Place-Based Approach (Jan-Mar 2024), refreshing Full Dispersal plans from 2024, and continuing data sharing and collaborative governance.
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HM Treasury
21
Recommendation
Seventy-Sixth Report - The Asylum Trans…
Accepted
The Home Office told us that it is working with the Local Government Association and individual councils and was “talking about all the big issues that arise, whether that is housing capacity, health, safeguarding and so on”.62 Specifically on room-sharing, the Home Office said it was “talking that through nationally …
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The Home Office told us that it is working with the Local Government Association and individual councils and was “talking about all the big issues that arise, whether that is housing capacity, health, safeguarding and so on”.62 Specifically on room-sharing, the Home Office said it was “talking that through nationally and individually with councils”.63 We pointed out that councils had already received letters telling them how many more people would need to be accommodated in hotels. The Home Office acknowledged that its communications had not been about whether the increase in room-sharing will happen, 51 Q 61 52 House of Commons Library, Asylum accommodation: hotels, vessels and large-scale sites, CBP 9831, 7 July 2023 53 Q 63 54 Qq 89–90 55 Q 91 56 Qq 66–68 57 Q 66 58 Q 115 59 Correspondence from the Home Office to PAC dated 18 August 2023 60 Committee of Public Accounts, Asylum accommodation and support transformation programme, Twenty-Fifth Report of Session 2019–21, HC 683, 20 November 2020 61 HM Treasury, Government responses to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Twenty-Fifth to the Twenty- Ninth reports from Session 2019–21, CP 376, February 2021 62 Qq 81, 143 63 Qq 85–86 14 The Asylum Transformation Programme but about how it will be done and how risks will be managed.64 The Home Office could not answer a specific question asking why Hull City Council received a letter from the Home Office saying that it was halting further increases in the asylum seeking population due to unsustainable pressures in the area, only to receive another letter 10 days later saying it would double the number of people in hotels in the city.65 In a letter the Home Office sent to us on 18 August 2023, it said that dispersed accommodation procurement in Hull was paused, except for any accommodation already in the process of being procured. It said that room sharing in hotels was treated separately from dispersed accommodation.66
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Government response AI summary
The government accepted the recommendation, committing to pilots for a Place-Based Approach from January-March 2024, improving data sharing with local authorities, and refreshing Full Dispersal plans from 2024, targeting implementation by December 2025.
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HM Treasury
23
Conclusion
Seventy-Sixth Report - The Asylum Trans…
Accepted
The Home Office said it would come back to us with further details on its processes for deciding who will share rooms but its letter of 18 August added little detail about how the Home Office would ensure people are kept safe, and it largely repeated what was said in …
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The Home Office said it would come back to us with further details on its processes for deciding who will share rooms but its letter of 18 August added little detail about how the Home Office would ensure people are kept safe, and it largely repeated what was said in our evidence session.71 The letter did add that room sharing was for people of the same sex, and that the Home Office encourages room sharing with family and friends.72 64 Q 87 65 Q 145 66 Correspondence from the Home Office to PAC dated 18 August 2023 67 Q 77 68 Q 71 69 Q 72 70 Qq 74–75 71 Q 85, Correspondence from the Home Office to PAC dated 18 August 2023 72 Correspondence from the Home Office to PAC dated 18 August 2023 The Asylum Transformation Programme 15
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Government response AI summary
The government states it disagrees with the committee's 'recommendation' (misunderstanding the item type) and details its extensive existing safeguarding strategy, including staff training, welfare support officers, and a Safeguarding Hub, to ensure the safety and welfare of asylum seekers.
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HM Treasury