Select committee inquiry
Digital services at the border
Closed
What the inquiry looked at
“The Home Office (HO) has been trying to upgrade or replace legacy IT systems and improve information at UK borders through digital transformation programmes the launch of its e-borders programme in 2003. But in 2010, HO cancelled its contract to deliver a single e-borders system, citing failure to achieve milestones. In 2014 it launched a new programme, Digital Services at the Border , as a new attempt to achieve its objectives: replace legacy systems still increasingly expensive, difficult to maintain and unfit for the future needs of government, and give UK Border Force officers better information with which to make decisions about people crossing the border. In a recent report, the NAO says this programme’s success is crucial to delivering overall objectives for national security at the border, but that since its 2014 launch, HO has changed its strategic priorities: to support a broader ambition for a digitised immigration system, and then also to provide the border controls required following the UK’s 2016 decision to leave the EU. It says that “due to these changes, scope creep and poor programme performance” the Department did not achieve value for money against its plans to deliver digital services at the border, and in 2019 the Home Office decided to reset the programme again: reducing some elements of its scope, adding new elements, and pushing delivery back to the end of March 2022. The NAO finds that HO has strengthened the programme’s governance, leadership and delivery capability – but has also delayed the programme’s delivery by three years and the additional cost to the taxpayer is £173 million. The Committee will question senior Home Office and Border Force officials. If you have evidence about the effective, efficient delivery of the Home Office’s Digital Services at the Border programme, please submit it here by 6:00 pm on Monday 25 January 2021.”
The committee's words, from the inquiry page on parliament.uk ↗.
What it found
In the committee's words, from the summary of Forty-Eighth Report - Digital Services at the Border ↗
The Home Office (the Department) has presided over a litany of failure in nearly 20 years of non-delivery of digital border programmes, with significant delays introducing additional costs to taxpayers, continued dependency on contractors to maintain legacy programmes, and delayed delivery of benefits to Border Force officers, other users and passengers. The Digital Services at the Border (DSAB) programme is crucial to delivering the Department’s overall objectives for national security at the border to protect the public from terrorism, crime, illegal immigration and trafficking, and is vital for facilitating the legitimate movement of people across the border. Following the 2011 abandonment of the e-borders programme which it began in 2003 and despite assurances from numerous senior Departmental officials over the years, the Department has now delayed delivery of its original objective of improved information at the border by a further three years, with little demonstrable lesson learning. The Department failed to respond to or address risks and problems flagged to the programme board earlier in the DSAB programme and false assurances about progress left the Department unable to act on accurate information.
The Department failed to deliver the DSAB programme by the March 2019 target it originally planned, with delays so far costing £173 million. It has since reset with a reduced scope and a plan to deliver three years later, pushing delivery back to the end of March 2022. It started its latest roll out of the Border Crossing part of the programme in December 2020, but Border Crossing is so far being used by only 300 staff, well short of the 7,000 who should be using the system by June 2021 and previous attempts to roll out Border Crossing experienced technical difficulties. The Department has yet to deliver another core part of the reset DSAB programme—modernising rather than replacing Semaphore—and must also manage interdependencies with other programmes (Data Futures, e-gates) if it is to deliver the practical benefits for frontline Border Force officers, other users and passengers. The Department is planning for more than 140 million passengers a year to pass through its the new DSAB systems; but it has not yet shown that the new systems will be able to cope with existing volumes, let alone a 6% annual increase to this scale of activity.
What the government said
The government responded on 31 August 2021. The deadline was 12 May 2021.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response.
The government states that it agrees with each of the Committee's recommendations on the Digital Services at the Border programme, and for most of them says the recommendation is already implemented.
- On the review of major technology programmes, the government agrees, with target implementation of June 2021, and states that the Permanent Secretary "will write to the Committee within three months".
- On oversight and assurance, it says the programme was independently reset in 2019 and has "robust assurance oversight processes". It states that the department "will report back to the Committee" on the outcome of the July 2021 IPA report.
- On delivery to the March 2022 timetable, it lists lessons from the 2019 reset, including a single-programme Senior Responsible Owner and "setting a manageable scope", and says it is delivering incrementally with short feedback loops.
- On milestones, it states that the delivery plan has "exact milestones baselined" through to March 2022, covering Border Crossing, Semaphore, eGate connectivity and secret level data.
Read the government's response ↗ Read the report ↗ Report an error
How the inquiry ran
Each dot is a dated item listed on this page, from the inquiry's opening on 21 December 2020 to 21 September 2021. The dashed mark is the deadline Parliament records for the government's response.
- Oral evidence 1 Feb 2021
- Report 12 Mar 2021
- Government response 31 Aug 2021
- Correspondence 4 letters
What it recommended 4 recommendations · 18 conclusions
2The Department has failed to identify, acknowledge and be transparent about problems within the Digital...
Recommended (the committee's words)
The Department has failed to identify, acknowledge and be transparent about problems within the Digital Services at the Border programme. Optimism bias about delivery and a failure to be open and transparent about delays left the Department unable to act on accurate information and exposed it to increased costs due to delays in identifying the need to reset the programme. In 2016 the Department made commitments to Parliament that the Digital Services at the Border programme was on track to deliver in 2017. Only in 2019 did the Department accept that it needed to reduce and narrow the scope of the programme to make it more deliverable. The Department put delays and subsequent reduction in scope of the Digital Services at the Border programme down to EU Exit and changes to classification of security data, but it had failed to make any contingency plans for the UK leaving the EU and the changes to classification were in place before the programme started. Recommendation: The Department should report back to the Committee on: • its mechanisms for oversight and assurance of delivery and how it knows whether they are working; • any costs incurred from deviating from the Department’s delivery plans.
3The Department’s failure to deliver the Digital Services at the Border programme by March 2019...
Recommended (the committee's words)
The Department’s failure to deliver the Digital Services at the Border programme by March 2019 was caused by a lack of effective leadership, management and oversight. The Department accepts that the Digital Services at the Border programme did not achieve value for money up to 2019, with none of the three 6 Digital Services at the Border systems being delivered as planned. It failed to respond to or address risks that were flagged to the programme board. There have been three Accounting Officers and four Senior Responsible Owners (SROs) since the Digital Services at the Border programme began. The Department now expects the Digital Services at the Border programme SRO to focus full-time on seeing the programme through to delivery. The Department claims to have streamlined its oversight and reporting and says that in future it will hold its programme leaders more closely to account for programme delivery. Recommendation: The Department should set out specifically what it is doing differently in its approach to the DSAB programme to ensure that it is delivered on time to its revised end March 2022 timetable.
4The Department has struggled to deliver the core technical components of the Digital Services at...
Recommended (the committee's words)
The Department has struggled to deliver the core technical components of the Digital Services at the Border programme. The Department has faced repeated problems with the technical aspects of delivery which means it has continued to depend on existing suppliers and extending contracts, with further cost implications. It struggled for several years to find a workable technical solution for storing secret data following the change of data security classification. The Department was also slow to respond to the consequences of EU exit and changes to intelligence requirements. The Department had to suspend its Border Crossing pilot system in March 2020 because it was not stable enough and was only available to frontline staff included in the pilot for 54% of the days it was in operation. The Department has struggled to retain people with the technical skills it requires but tells us it now has a balance between technical and frontline skills with relevant people better able to manage different aspects of the programme. Recommendation: The Department should set out what it has done to resolve the problems it has had with the technical components of the programme and what it will do if these components are not working as intended to the timescales it has planned.
5We see a clear risk that the Department will not be able to deliver the...
Concluded (the committee's words)
We see a clear risk that the Department will not be able to deliver the programme by the end of March 2022. The Department started its latest rollout of the Border Crossing system on time, but it has so far reached only 300 frontline users at 7 locations out of an intended 7,000 at 56 locations by June 2021. It still has no proof that systems can cope with passenger volumes that existed prior to COVID-19, let alone the 6% annual growth in the volume of passengers it is allowing for above the 140 million people that arrived in the UK annually prior to COVID-19. The Department also plans to include new mobile technology so that Border Force staff covering small ports and airports not included in the Border Crossing rollout will still benefit from the delivery of the Digital Services at the Border programme. Despite recent modest improvements to its risk ratings and achievement against milestones, the Department’s own rating of scope risk was Red as recently as August
6The Department’s ambitions for the border and its delivery of practical improvements for users depend...
Recommended (the committee's words)
The Department’s ambitions for the border and its delivery of practical improvements for users depend upon it coordinating the implementation of the Digital Services at the Border programme with the delivery of several related projects. The Department’s aim to provide UK Border Force staff with better information to make decisions about people crossing the border and to track goods entering and exiting the UK depends on it delivering all elements of the new systems on time. It is also reliant on the delivery of other interdependent projects such as e-gates and port infrastructure upgrades to meet this aim. The Department has significant interdependencies to manage with the Data Futures programme to realise the original Digital Services at the Border programme’s objective of better tracking goods entering and exiting the UK. Recommendation: The Department should set out progress against planned milestones for related programmes, any impacts on frontline Border Force staff and people using border services, and what it is doing to mitigate these impacts. 8 Digital Services at the Border 1 Multiple failures to deliver a digital border
1Based on a report by the Comptroller & Auditor General we took evidence from the...
Concluded (the committee's words)
Based on a report by the Comptroller & Auditor General we took evidence from the Home Office (the Department), including from Border Force, on progress with the Digital Services at the Border (DSAB) programme.1
7In a May 2016 Treasury Minute response to this Committee, the Department provided Parliament with...
Concluded (the committee's words)
In a May 2016 Treasury Minute response to this Committee, the Department provided Parliament with assurance over several aspects of DSAB. It committed to delivering Advanced Freight Targeting Capability in 2017 and to rolling out Border Crossing nationally by 2017. It did not meet these commitments and had still not delivered these systems when the programme was eventually reset in 2019.13
8The Department noted that this was part of a wider pattern whereby those involved with...
Concluded (the committee's words)
The Department noted that this was part of a wider pattern whereby those involved with the programme wanted to present a positive direction for the programme to senior management at a time when the programme was struggling in 2017 and 2018.14 This resulted in a failure to be open and transparent about delays.15 As a result, information about the progress of the programme was not passed up the line as required. This led to the Department not deciding to reset the programme until 2019, which in turn has resulted in additional costs.16
9The Department suggested that external factors had hindered the programme, noting that new requirements emerged...
Concluded (the committee's words)
The Department suggested that external factors had hindered the programme, noting that new requirements emerged following the EU Exit referendum results in 7 Q 45; C&AG’s report Progress delivering the Emergency Services Network, Session 2017–19, HC 2140, 10 May 2019, Para 5 8 Q 44 9 Q 66 10 Q 49 11 Q 37 12 Qq 66, 67 13 Qq 37, 38; HM Treasury, Treasury Minutes – Government responses on the Twenty–Seventh to the Thirty–Third reports from the Committee of Public Accounts Session 2015–16, Cm 9270, May 2016 14 Q 81 15 Q 67 16 Q 81 10 Digital Services at the Border
10The Department acknowledged that by the time of its reset, the programme had not delivered...
Concluded (the committee's words)
The Department acknowledged that by the time of its reset, the programme had not delivered the value for money that had originally been intended. The Department had delivered none of the three systems that it had intended to deliver on time.19 The programme removed two of these systems from the scope in the reset, moving their capability to other programmes within the Department which will deliver later than the Digital Services at the Border Programme.20
11Problems with the programme were compounded by instability among its senior leadership.
Concluded (the committee's words)
Problems with the programme were compounded by instability among its senior leadership. The programme had four different Senior Responsible Owners (SRO) between 2014 and 2020, with the current SRO being the longest serving after just over 2 years in post.21 The Department has also had three Permanent Secretaries during the life of the programme. The Department has acknowledged that previous SROs had other roles outside the programme, reducing their time and focus on the programme. The Department stated that it has changed this situation so that being the SRO on programmes of this size is a full-time role and has committed to seeking greater continuity in the position, with the expectation that the current SRO should stay in post until programme delivery.22
12The Department failed to act on risks that were being flagged.
Concluded (the committee's words)
The Department failed to act on risks that were being flagged. The Committee noted that ongoing issues existed but that the Department did not address them, in part because information was not being communicated effectively by the programme team to the wider Department.23 Since the programme reset the Department claims to have streamlined its oversight of the programme, including closer scrutiny by its digital and data programme staff and with monthly reports from the SRO to the Border Force board.24 Difficulties in delivering technical aspects
13The Department has faced repeated technical difficulties in delivering the programme.
Concluded (the committee's words)
The Department has faced repeated technical difficulties in delivering the programme. These difficulties have caused delays which in turn have forced the Department to extend existing contracts for legacy systems, at a cost of £145 million between 2019 and 2022.25 This also meant that frontline Border Force staff needed to continue using existing systems in their work and delayed the delivery of benefits to them.26
14Some of the technical difficulties involved responding to the external factors that hindered the programme.
Concluded (the committee's words)
Some of the technical difficulties involved responding to the external factors that hindered the programme. For example, the Department created the Future Border and Immigration System (FBIS) programme in response to EU Exit which developed six new interfaces with which the DSAB systems needed to connect. In addition, the Department 19 Qq 36, 90 20 Qq 36, 104–105 21 Qq 65, 66 22 Qq 66, 84 23 Q 81 24 Q 70 25 Q 90 26 Q 31 12 Digital Services at the Border explained that it had attempted to collaborate with other departments on storing secret data before eventually accepting the need to build its own data centre.27 These were the main external factors behind the programmes eventual reset.
15The programme suspended an attempted roll-out of the Border Crossing system in March 2020.28 The...
Concluded (the committee's words)
The programme suspended an attempted roll-out of the Border Crossing system in March 2020.28 The system had difficulty operating reliably at scale, with stability problems causing it to be available for only 54% of the days that it was supposed to be available, and roll-out limitations meaning that it was only available to 783 users out of a required 7,000.29 The programme started the latest roll-out of Border Crossing at the beginning of December after attempting to fix these difficulties. The latest roll-out has so far been available 98% of the time. While this is an improvement on previous performance, the Department has set a requirement of 99.93% to be met by April 2021.30
16The Department acknowledged that it has faced strong competition for people with the scarce technical...
Concluded (the committee's words)
The Department acknowledged that it has faced strong competition for people with the scarce technical skills required to deliver the programme, including from other government departments. The Department has now designed framework contracts with outside suppliers so that it is the responsibility of the suppliers to provide the right people with the right skills to support the programme.31 To support its skills base the programme has building the working relationship between the Department’s Digital, Data and Technology team and Border Force. The Department stated that this has improved the balance between the technical experts who understand the necessary system requirements and frontline staff who understand the user perspective. The Department is also attempting to improve civil service skills for the long-term.32 27 Qq 39, 40 28 Q 89 29 Q 59; C&AG’s Report, Digital Services at the Border Figure 12 30 Q 59; C&AG’s Report, Digital Services at the Border para 3.8 31 Q 66 32 Qq 66, 74 Digital Services at the Border 13 3 Delivering the reset programme The risk of late delivery
17The latest roll-out of Border Crossing started on time at the beginning of December
Concluded (the committee's words)
The latest roll-out of Border Crossing started on time at the beginning of December
18The Department has outlined plans to ensure Border Crossing systems are available at crossing points...
Concluded (the committee's words)
The Department has outlined plans to ensure Border Crossing systems are available at crossing points other than the 56 major entry points which will have permanent access to the system. The Department stated that this will involve a mobile capability which will allow Border Force officers to access the Border Crossing system temporarily at other entry points when they determine by a risk-based assessment that this is necessary.36 The Department has yet to fully set out its approach to delivering this mobile capability.
19There has been some improvement in the risk ratings applied to the programme.
Concluded (the committee's words)
There has been some improvement in the risk ratings applied to the programme. The most recent IPA review rated it as amber, having previously been amber-red following the reset. This was in response to improved governance and leadership in line with recommendations from the IPA and from an internal Department review.37 Despite these modest improvements the programme still rated its own scope risk as red as recently as August 2020 after one aspect of programme delivery slipped on its timeline, although it has since returned to amber.38 Coordination with related projects
20For the Department to deliver its planned improvements to border security, it is dependent on...
Concluded (the committee's words)
For the Department to deliver its planned improvements to border security, it is dependent on the quality of the data input into its information systems. This will include new system inputs from European Union countries after Schengen Information System II (SIS II) uploads and records were removed from UK systems following the end of the transition period.39 These inputs will be replaced by uploads and records from Interpol. With either SIS II or Interpol, the UK is dependent on the speed with which other countries upload information onto these systems.40
21The Department’s ambitions for the border as a whole and delivery of practical improvements for...
Concluded (the committee's words)
The Department’s ambitions for the border as a whole and delivery of practical improvements for users require timely delivery of all elements of the new DSAB systems, 33 Qq 58, 59, 85 34 Qq 85,88, 106 35 Q 88 36 Qq 62, 64 37 Q 54 38 Q 56 39 Q 25 40 Qq 24, 25 14 Digital Services at the Border as well as effective interdependencies with systems from other programmes.41 The Department noted the importance of re-platforming Semaphore to allow that system to continue operating. Some of the technology originally developed for DSAB is also being taken forward by the Data Futures programme. The Department expects the key part of the Data Futures programme associated with the original DSAB scope to deliver in 2022–23.42 The Department also needs to integrate the Border Crossing system with e-gates, in order to check passengers using those gates against the new system, as well as upgrade infrastructure including network connections at ports to enable these systems to operate effectively.43
22The Department stated that, if the programme is not delivered on time, its contingency is...
Concluded (the committee's words)
The Department stated that, if the programme is not delivered on time, its contingency is to extend existing contracts with Warnings Index and Semaphore, including using extension clauses in the existing contracts. The Department is seeking to avoid this for two reasons. Firstly, running those existing systems instead of delivering the programme would cost £130 million over 10 years and necessitate reliance on systems that would be very difficult to sustain during that period as the Warnings Index would be over 35 years old by the end of it.44 Secondly, continuing to use the existing systems delays the benefits of the newer systems, which are more user-friendly for staff operating at the border. For example, Border Crossing shows the age of passengers passing through rather than just their date of birth, removing the need for border staff to calculate the age themselves.45 41 Q 111 42 Qq 103, 105, 106 43 Q 92; C&AG’s Report, Digital Services at the Border Para 3.11 44 Qq 100–102 45 Q 31 Digital Services at the Border 15
Evidence
Oral evidence sessions 1
- 1 Feb 2021Digital services at the border3 witnesses, listed belowparliament.uk ↗
Who gave evidence 3 witnesses
- John GillanSenior Director, Border Force Systems and Change, and SRO for digital services at the border, Home Office
- Matthew Rycroft CBEPermanent Secretary, Home Office
- Paul LincolnDirector General, Border Force, Home Office
Correspondence 4 letters
- 21 Sep 2021Correspondence from Matthew Rycroft, Permanent Secretary, Home Office, re Digital Services at the Border (DSAB) Programme Project: update on Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) Gateway 0 Review, dated 14 September 2021
- 10 Jun 2021Correspondence from Matthew Rycroft CBE, Permanent Secretary, Home Office, re Recommendation 1 Forty-Eighth report of the 2019-2021 – Digital Services at the Border, dated 3 June 2021
- 16 Apr 2021Correspondence from Matthew Rycroft CBE, Permanent Secretary, Home Office, re Digital Service at the border, dated 25 March 2021
- 23 Feb 2021Correspondence from Matthew Rycroft CBE, Permanent Secretary, Home Office, re Digital Services at the boarders, dated 12 February 2021