Recommendation 8

Officials described new governance arrangements intended to strengthen system-wide accountability. The Home Office highlighted the creation of the asylum group within the Home Office, led by a Director General, to support end-to-end asylum operations. It said the group brings together intake, casework, operational policy and commercial functions and comprises “around 10,000 people”, the majority of whom are in operations. The Home Office told us it has also established a new asylum system board, which brings together all government departments with responsibilities for “any aspect of the asylum system”, including the MoJ, MHCLG, HM Treasury, the Ministry of Defence, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Cabinet Office. The board meets every six weeks and is intended to “establish a shared understanding of objectives and outcomes” and support cross-government accountability.13