Backlog of immigration complaints

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The handling of immigration complaints is "extremely weak" with a huge backlog, a report has concluded.

The Complaints Audit Committee found more than 50,000 letters a year were written by MPs on behalf of aggrieved failed asylum seekers and immigrants.

It is now calling for a system overhaul at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND), a move senior officials say they have agreed to.

Conservatives said it showed delay and defensiveness within the Home Office.

The report described a huge backlog of complaints, with only 4% of misconduct complaints handled in time.

'Enormous waste'

Ann Barker, chair of the committee, said: "The waste of public resources is enormous.

"The committee found that the handling of serious complaints about misconduct in detention centres is grossly inadequate.

"Investigations are extremely weak and heavily biased in favour of contract staff."

She said there was evidence of a substantial backlog of cases requiring decisions generating tens of thousands of service complaints.

"Constituents are seeking the assistance of their MPs, who are currently writing upwards of 50,000 letters a year to IND in an attempt to have their concerns resolved," she added.

She said senior officials had accepted most of the recommendations and are committed to implementing major changes.

The new system would include:

<ul class="bulletList"><li>inviting the Independent Police Complaints Commission to investigate deaths and allegations of serious injury or degrading treatment by staff</li><li>an informal system to handle less serious misconduct complaints more quickly</li></ul>

Director General of the IND, Lin Homer, said: "The report highlights a number of areas where IND needs to improve its performance.

"We have accepted almost all of the recommendations in the report and steps have already been taken to address many of them."

But shadow immigration minister Damian Green said: "It paints a picture of delay, defensiveness and lack of independence.

"The most worrying part of the report covers investigations, which are described as 'superficial and defensive of staff'.

"There have been two sex scandals this year affecting Lunar House at Croydon, and ministers have hidden behind internal inquiries.

"We now know how inadequate these inquiries were, so the public can have no confidence that ingrained corruption has been rooted out."