Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 13
13
Not Addressed
Home Office business case lacks broad assessment of economic and departmental impacts of increased decisions.
Conclusion
While the Programme aims to increase the number of asylum decisions that the Home Office makes, the Home Office acknowledged that it has not looked broadly enough at benefits and costs beyond the asylum and protection team of increasing decisions.33 For example, its business case does not account for economic benefits, such as someone receiving a decision and being able to move into work.34 The Home Office acknowledged that there will be an impact on HM Courts & Tribunals Service, who will need to manage more appeals against asylum decisions and Immigration Enforcement, who may need to 24 Qq 119–120 25 TAP0004; TAP0005 26 C&AG’s Report, para 3.12 27 TAP0005; C&AG’s Report, para 3.11 28 C&AG’s Report, para 3.12 29 Q 57 30 Q 43; C&AG’s Report, para 3.12 31 Home Office, Immigration system statistics: Asylum and Resettlement - Summary tables: Asy_10a, 24 August 2023 32 C&AG’s Report, para 3.14 33 Q 128 34 Qq 129–130; C&AG’s Report, para 9 The Asylum Transformation Programme 11 detain and remove the increased number of people who are refused asylum. The Home Office also listed the Department for Work & Pensions and the Department for Education as bodies that would be affected by the Programme.35
Government Response Summary
The government states it will not publish the Programme’s Business Case, as it is not standard practice, but offers a private meeting to explain how impacts were modelled once HM Treasury approval is received.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
6.1 The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation. 6.2 The department does not intend to publish the Programme’s Business Case, as it is not standard practice for the department to publish Business Cases. However, the government is instead happy to hold a private meeting with the Committee, once the Programme Business Case has been approved by HM Treasury, to explain how the intentions and impacts of the programme have been modelled and measured. The department anticipates receiving HM Treasury approval by the Summer of 2024.