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| Immigration minister wants to end 'computer says no' culture at Home Office | Immigration minister wants to end 'computer says no' culture at Home Office |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The immigration minister has said she wants to change the “computer says no” culture of the Home Office, after being confronted with evidence that up to 1,000 highly skilled immigrants face being deported for minor errors on their tax forms. | |
| Giving evidence to MPs on the cross-party home affairs select committee, Caroline Nokes was asked about cases reported in the Guardian in which individuals have been put at risk of losing their indefinite leave to remain because of mistakes uncovered by HM Revenue & Customs. | Giving evidence to MPs on the cross-party home affairs select committee, Caroline Nokes was asked about cases reported in the Guardian in which individuals have been put at risk of losing their indefinite leave to remain because of mistakes uncovered by HM Revenue & Customs. |
| The Labour MP John Woodcock said: “You must be horrified that people are being detained and facing removal for often minor discrepancies in their tax submissions, for which HMRC is not seeking enforcement action.” | |
| Nokes replied: “I’m always concerned, particularly when it is people who have been contributing to this country, whether economically or culturally to our communities, as part of our communities, when we are not about performing to the best of our ability.” | Nokes replied: “I’m always concerned, particularly when it is people who have been contributing to this country, whether economically or culturally to our communities, as part of our communities, when we are not about performing to the best of our ability.” |
| She repeatedly called for what she described as a “culture change” in the Home Office. “It’s not about using rules to have a ‘computer says no’ mentality,” she said. | She repeatedly called for what she described as a “culture change” in the Home Office. “It’s not about using rules to have a ‘computer says no’ mentality,” she said. |
| Pressed on whether she would carry out a review of the cases, Nokes said: “Yes. But I have to accept that this is a department that has an enormous workload, and my number one priority at the moment has been both on Windrush cases and people impacted by that, and also going forward why other cohorts of people might be similarly affected.” | Pressed on whether she would carry out a review of the cases, Nokes said: “Yes. But I have to accept that this is a department that has an enormous workload, and my number one priority at the moment has been both on Windrush cases and people impacted by that, and also going forward why other cohorts of people might be similarly affected.” |
| The minister also told the MPs that Home Office officials were combing through the case files of 8,000 immigrants removed from Britain since 2002, to establish whether any have been caught up in the Windrush scandal. | The minister also told the MPs that Home Office officials were combing through the case files of 8,000 immigrants removed from Britain since 2002, to establish whether any have been caught up in the Windrush scandal. |
| She said her department had identified people of the relevant age and nationality, and was investigating whether they had been affected. This investigation is separate from the internal inquiry into the Windrush errors that has been announced by the new home secretary, Sajid Javid. | |
| The tax-discrepancy cases, which involve section 322(5) of the Immigration Act, are the latest example of the unintended consequences of the Home Office’s “hostile environment” policy, aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration. | The tax-discrepancy cases, which involve section 322(5) of the Immigration Act, are the latest example of the unintended consequences of the Home Office’s “hostile environment” policy, aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration. |
| MPs were questioning Nokes and two senior Home Office officials. Earlier in the same hearing, the top civil servant at the Home Office announced an inquiry into the advice given to Amber Rudd by members of the civil service “before, during and after” the select committee hearing that ultimately led to her resignation as home secretary last month. | MPs were questioning Nokes and two senior Home Office officials. Earlier in the same hearing, the top civil servant at the Home Office announced an inquiry into the advice given to Amber Rudd by members of the civil service “before, during and after” the select committee hearing that ultimately led to her resignation as home secretary last month. |
| Rudd resigned after conceding she had inadvertently misled the committee over the existence of deportation targets in the department. | Rudd resigned after conceding she had inadvertently misled the committee over the existence of deportation targets in the department. |
| The permanent secretary at the Home Office, Sir Philip Rutnam, said he had asked the prime minister’s ethics adviser, Sir Alex Allan, to examine the circumstances surrounding Rudd’s claim that“that’s not how we operate”. | The permanent secretary at the Home Office, Sir Philip Rutnam, said he had asked the prime minister’s ethics adviser, Sir Alex Allan, to examine the circumstances surrounding Rudd’s claim that“that’s not how we operate”. |
| The home secretary has issued five apologies in the last week – four of them over her department's handling of the Windrush crisis and immigration targets. | The home secretary has issued five apologies in the last week – four of them over her department's handling of the Windrush crisis and immigration targets. |
| Rudd delivered an unprecedented apology to parliament and acknowledged that her department had “lost sight of individuals” and become “too concerned with policy”. | Rudd delivered an unprecedented apology to parliament and acknowledged that her department had “lost sight of individuals” and become “too concerned with policy”. |
| Rudd apologised for failing to grasp the scale of the problem. She told the home affairs select committee: “I bitterly, deeply regret that I didn’t see it as more than individual cases gone wrong that needed addressing. I didn’t see it as a systemic issue until very recently.” | Rudd apologised for failing to grasp the scale of the problem. She told the home affairs select committee: “I bitterly, deeply regret that I didn’t see it as more than individual cases gone wrong that needed addressing. I didn’t see it as a systemic issue until very recently.” |
| On Thursday morning, Rudd was forced to admit officials did have targets for removals, having previously denied their existence. | On Thursday morning, Rudd was forced to admit officials did have targets for removals, having previously denied their existence. |
| “The immigration arm of the Home Office has been using local targets for internal performance management. These were not published targets against which performance was assessed, but if they were used inappropriately then I am clear that this will have to change." | “The immigration arm of the Home Office has been using local targets for internal performance management. These were not published targets against which performance was assessed, but if they were used inappropriately then I am clear that this will have to change." |
| On Thursday afternoon, Rudd was forced to issue a hasty clarification after appearing to leave the door open to the UK staying in a customs union with the EU. | On Thursday afternoon, Rudd was forced to issue a hasty clarification after appearing to leave the door open to the UK staying in a customs union with the EU. |
| “I should have been clearer – of course when we leave the EU we will be leaving the customs union." | “I should have been clearer – of course when we leave the EU we will be leaving the customs union." |
| In a series of late-night tweets, Rudd apologised for not being aware of documents, leaked to the Guardian, which set out immigration removal targets. | In a series of late-night tweets, Rudd apologised for not being aware of documents, leaked to the Guardian, which set out immigration removal targets. |
| ‘I wasn’t aware of specific removal targets. I accept I should have been and I’m sorry that I wasn’t. I didn’t see the leaked document, although it was copied to my office as many documents are." | ‘I wasn’t aware of specific removal targets. I accept I should have been and I’m sorry that I wasn’t. I didn’t see the leaked document, although it was copied to my office as many documents are." |
| Some of Rudd’s allies have subsequently suggested she was let down by her civil servants. In her resignation letter, she said: “I have reviewed the advice I was given on this issue and become aware of information provided to my office which makes mention of targets. I should have been aware of this, and take full responsibility for the fact that I was not.” | Some of Rudd’s allies have subsequently suggested she was let down by her civil servants. In her resignation letter, she said: “I have reviewed the advice I was given on this issue and become aware of information provided to my office which makes mention of targets. I should have been aware of this, and take full responsibility for the fact that I was not.” |
| Rutnam said the evidence at the hearing that ultimately led to her departure had been “regrettably confused”. | Rutnam said the evidence at the hearing that ultimately led to her departure had been “regrettably confused”. |
| He told the committee on Tuesday: “Clearly there is a lot of concern about the preparation for the home affairs select committee hearing; concern about events during the hearing, and after the hearing. | He told the committee on Tuesday: “Clearly there is a lot of concern about the preparation for the home affairs select committee hearing; concern about events during the hearing, and after the hearing. |
| “My concern is to make sure that the quality of advice and support that we are giving to our ministers is as good as it possibly can be.” | “My concern is to make sure that the quality of advice and support that we are giving to our ministers is as good as it possibly can be.” |
| Rudd resigned after struggling to explain her role in the mistreatment of the Windrush generation, some of whom have lost their jobs, benefits and homes, and faced deportation because they never formalised their residency status and do not have the required documentation to prove it. | Rudd resigned after struggling to explain her role in the mistreatment of the Windrush generation, some of whom have lost their jobs, benefits and homes, and faced deportation because they never formalised their residency status and do not have the required documentation to prove it. |
| Earlier during Tuesday’s hearing, Hugh Ind, the official in charge of migration removals, admitted that targets had been set for 2017-18 as well as the previous two years. | Earlier during Tuesday’s hearing, Hugh Ind, the official in charge of migration removals, admitted that targets had been set for 2017-18 as well as the previous two years. |
| He said the removals target for 2017-18 had been 12,800, as revealed in the Home Office memo copied to Rudd – and then published by the Guardian. He added it had been reduced later in the year to 230-250 a week(11,960 – 13,000 a year), as “we had to moderate our expectations”. | He said the removals target for 2017-18 had been 12,800, as revealed in the Home Office memo copied to Rudd – and then published by the Guardian. He added it had been reduced later in the year to 230-250 a week(11,960 – 13,000 a year), as “we had to moderate our expectations”. |
| Ind’s evidence appeared to contradict the claim by his senior colleague Glyn Williams and by Rudd at the hearing last month that there were no targets. | Ind’s evidence appeared to contradict the claim by his senior colleague Glyn Williams and by Rudd at the hearing last month that there were no targets. |
| But Rutnam stood by Williams’s assertion to the committee on 20 April that there were “no published removals targets, and there was nothing broken down by region as far as I know”. | But Rutnam stood by Williams’s assertion to the committee on 20 April that there were “no published removals targets, and there was nothing broken down by region as far as I know”. |
| He told Woodcock: “What Mr Williams said was that there were no published removals targets, which was correct. The performance regime that Mr Ind has described was not a published regime, it was an internal performance regime.” | He told Woodcock: “What Mr Williams said was that there were no published removals targets, which was correct. The performance regime that Mr Ind has described was not a published regime, it was an internal performance regime.” |
| Pressed further, Rutman said: “Clearly the discussion of removals targets at that committee hearing was regrettably confused. He added: “Quite a lot turns on the semantics of what ‘target’ means.” | Pressed further, Rutman said: “Clearly the discussion of removals targets at that committee hearing was regrettably confused. He added: “Quite a lot turns on the semantics of what ‘target’ means.” |
| His careful replies prompted Woodcock to accuse him of being “Sir Humphrey-tastic”, while the committee’s chair, Yvette Cooper, described him as “slippery”. | His careful replies prompted Woodcock to accuse him of being “Sir Humphrey-tastic”, while the committee’s chair, Yvette Cooper, described him as “slippery”. |
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