Recommendation 13

We received written evidence from stakeholders representing asylum seekers who told us that they needed information on the contracts’ performance to help them better support people. The Refugee Council told us that they needed greater transparency over service standards and performance management to give them confidence that the Department had effective mechanisms in place.31 Asylum Matters told us that the Department does not share information with local stakeholders such as regional Strategic Migration Partnerships, making meaningful scrutiny of the contracts impossible.32 We asked why the Department was not publishing data to meet the Cabinet Office’s ‘outsourcing playbook’, which states that departments should publish key performance information for any significant outsourced contract. The Department said that it would be publishing information in line with this guidance later in October.33 25 Qq 104–106 26 Qq 98–99 27 C&AG’s Report, para 2.9 28 Qq 100–101 29 Committee of Public Accounts. Windrush generation and the Home Office, HC 1518, 6 March 2019 30 Q 115 31 ASY0003 - British Refugee Council 32 ASY0006 - Asylum Matters 33 Q 107 Asylum accommodation and support transformation programme 13 2 Asylum seekers’ experiences The use of hotels