Recommendation 18

We asked what the Department could learn from its analysis of late asylum claims to reduce the number of these. The NAO reported that the Department failed to complete 62% of the returns it planned from immigration detention in 2019, compared to 56% in 2018.49 We heard how decisions and trends elsewhere in the system, for example changes in the legal framework and greater compliance on immigration rules, affect the Department’s success in completing returns. The Department explained that a large number of asylum claims in detention slowed down some elements of the immigration system, but it did not specify which elements. We questioned whether other factors such as the Department’s decision to reduce the financial package for voluntary returns or earlier access to good quality legal advice could influence the successful resolution of cases.50 The Department told us it had not directly assessed the possible impact of legal advice, but it believed legal advice could allow cases to flow more smoothly through the system. The Department was not aware of any analysis it had conducted on whether the cost of providing that advice would save money later in the process, but it offered to confirm that point.51 49 C&AG’s Report, para 2.29, Figure 12 50 Qq 79, 80, 82 51 Qq 100, 101 Immigration enforcement 15 3 Planning for the future The impact of EU exit on the immigration enforcement system