Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 6
6
We are not convinced that the Department is sufficiently prepared to safeguard the status of...
Recommendation
We are not convinced that the Department is sufficiently prepared to safeguard the status of individuals while also implementing a new immigration system and managing its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department faces several challenges in the immediate future. The extension of visas during the COVID-19 pandemic raises concerns that mistakes in case and data management could affect an individual’s future immigration status. The Immigration Enforcement directorate also needs to adapt to the updated vision and values the Department sets out for the UK’s future immigration system from January 2021. The Department committed again to implementing the recommendations of the Windrush lessons learned review and contacting all those who were affected, not only those from the Caribbean. Whilst we are pleased that this is the Home Office’s policy now, we note that the Department initially rejected the recommendation made by our predecessor Committee in March 2019 that the Department should extend its historical reviews beyond Caribbean Commonwealth nationals to include nationals from other Commonwealth countries. Tackling these challenges will require significant change. The Department pins its hopes on its ongoing programme of digitisation and automation to support its response to these challenges, including its implementation of Atlas, but its history of delivering such projects is patchy at best. Recommendation: Within six weeks of this report, the Department should write to this committee to explain its priorities while implementing these significant changes. Specifically, it should set out: 8 Immigration enforcement • How it will balance risks to delivery against the risk that these changes will unfairly affect the lives and rights of individuals; • What practical steps the Department has taken and will take to achieve this balance; and • What testing it has conducted to ensure that its information systems can fully support these steps. Immigration enforcement 9
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
19. Nineteenth Report of Session 2019-21 The Sponsor Body (for the Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster) Restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster Introduction from the Committee After over 20 years of discussion, in January 2018, Parliament approved the Restoration and Renewal Programme (the Programme) to deliver the significant work needed to repair the Palace of Westminster, and to meet wider objectives such as improving accessibility and providing educational facilities. The Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal) Act 2019 (the Act) set out how the Programme would be managed from April 2020. It established a new Sponsor Body which is responsible for the strategic direction of the Programme and oversees a Delivery Authority, which is responsible for undertaking the works. Both the Sponsor Body and Delivery Authority are accountable to Parliament, which will continue to be the main user of the Palace once it is repaired but, under the Act, Parliament will not run the Programme itself. Instead, members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords will be asked to approve the business case presented by the Sponsor Body and will be responsible for approving and scrutinising the funding for the works. The Programme is at an early stage and is also dependent on other refurbishment projects across the wider Parliamentary estate also being delivered on time Based on a report by the National Audit Office, the Committee took evidence, on 21 July 2020 from the Parliamentary Works Sponsor Body; House of Commons; House of Lords and the Parliamentary Works Delivery Authority. The Committee published its report on 2 October 2020. Relevant reports • NAO report: Palace of Westminster Restoration and Renewal Programme - Session 2019–21 (HC 315) • PAC report: Restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster - Session 2019-21 (HC 549) Responses to the Committee The Sponsor Body is not a government body so will provide responses to the recommendations in the PAC report directly to the Committee. Treasury Minutes Archive1 Treasury Minutes are the government’s response to reports from the Committee of Public Accounts. Treasury Minutes are Command Papers laid in Parliament. Session 2019-21 Committee Recommendations: 113 Recommendations agreed: 105 (93%) Recommendations disagreed: 8 Publication Date PAC Reports Ref Number July 2020 Government response to PAC reports 1-6 CP 270 September 2020 Government responses to PAC reports 7-13 CP 291 November 2020 Government responses to PAC reports 14-17 and 19 CP 316 Session 2019 Committee Recommendations: 11 Recommendations agreed: 11 (100%) Recommendations disagreed: 0 Publication Date PAC Reports Ref Number January 2020 Government response to PAC report [112-119] 1 and 2 CP 210 Session 2017-19 Committee Recommendations: 747 Recommendations agreed: 675 (90%) Recommendations disagreed: 72 (10%) Publication Date PAC Reports Ref Number December 2017 Government response to PAC report 1 Cm 9549 January 2018 Government responses to PAC reports 2 and 3 Cm 9565 March 2018 Government responses to PAC reports 4-11 Cm 9575 March 2018 Government responses to PAC reports 12-19 Cm 9596 May 2018 Government responses to PAC reports 20-30 Cm 9618 June 2018 Government responses to PAC reports 31-37 Cm 9643 July 2018 Government responses to PAC reports 38-42 Cm 9667 October 2018 Government responses to PAC reports 43-58 Cm 9702 December 2018 Government responses to PAC reports 59-63 Cm 9740 January 2019 Government responses to PAC reports 64-68 CP 18 March 2019 Government responses to PAC reports 69-71 CP 56 April 2019 Government responses to PAC reports 72-77 CP 79 May 2019 Government responses to PAC reports 78-81 and 83-85 CP 97 June 2019 Government responses to PAC reports 82, 86-92 CP 113 July 2019 Government responses to PAC reports 93-94 and 96-98 CP 151 October 2019 Government responses to PAC reports 95, 99-111 CP 176 January 2020 Government response to PAC report 112-119 [1 and 2] CP 210 1 List of Treasury Minutes responses for Sessions 2010-15 are annexed in the Government’s response to PAC Report 52 Session 2016-17 Committee Recommendations: 393 Recommendations agreed: 356 (91%) Recommendations disagreed: 37 (9%) Publication Date PAC Reports Ref Number November 2016 Government responses to PAC reports 1-13 Cm 9351 December 2016 Government responses to PAC reports 14-21 Cm 9389 February 2017 Government responses to PAC reports 22-25 and 28 Cm 9413 March 2017 Government responses to PAC reports 26-27 and 29-342 Cm 9429 March 2017 Government responses to PAC reports 35-41 Cm 9433 October 2017 Government responses to PAC reports 42-44 and 46-64 Cm 9505 Session 2015-16 Committee Recommendations: 262 Recommendations agreed: 225 (86%) Recommendations disagreed: 37 (14%) Publication Date PAC Reports Ref Number December 2015 Government responses to PAC reports 1 to 3 Cm 9170 January 2016 Government responses to PAC reports 4 to 8 Cm 9190 March 2016 Government