Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 6
6
The Department’s ambitions for the border and its delivery of practical improvements for users depend...
Recommendation
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
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 6.2 Progress against planned milestones is set against a managed set of dependencies which have been captured and are tracked and reviewed within the programme and wider portfolio. As part of this process, any impacts would be mitigated and would form part of feedback process via the business change team to the frontline and back, ensuring all changes are embedded effectively and efficiently for go-live of the system. 6.3 Border Force staff will experience no degradation of frontline capability, and it will add more functionality and improve the operability beyond what was originally envisaged. Passengers using border services will receive an improved journey experience through the UK primary check points, but there will be no physical change. 6.4 The department provides updates to the Border Immigration and Citizenship Systems (BICS) Transformation board as to progress against milestones to align with related programmes. 6.5 Digitising the Border (DtB) (permission to travel systems) within the Future Borders and Immigration System (FBIS), Cerberus (watchlisting and intelligence) and eGates (connection with Border Crossing), all related programmes all attend the department’s programme board, have access to published plans and can confidently and openly challenge progress of milestones against delivery plans and track resolution activity. None have reported delays or detrimental impacts to their milestones in relation to delivery activity, and all are progressing against their own milestones.