Recommendation 16

We raised concerns that departments were often unable to respond to parliamentary questions because they did not hold information at the level of granularity requested.32 The NAO identified several examples where data was not routinely collected or available, including the number of people who had absconded from the asylum system and the level of repeated appeals.33 When asked about these gaps, the Home Office said the challenge lies in “joining that data up between different systems and managing it through time”, noting that individuals move between parts of the Home Office systems, other systems, and in and out of contact. The MoJ said this join-up of data systems was “not an overnight fix”, but that it is working towards integration with the Home Office, by spring 2026, to support the introduction of a 24-week statutory timeframe to determine asylum appeals by those receiving asylum accommodation support or non-detained foreign national offenders.34 31 C&AG’s Report, para 2.21-2.24 32 Q 7 33 C&AG’s Report, para 2.24 34 Qq 73, 82, 88 14