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Home Office’s £30m immigration contract has led to ‘catalogue of chaos’ Home Office’s £30m immigration contract has led to ‘catalogue of chaos’
(35 minutes later)
The Home Office entered into a botched £30m contract with an outsourcing firm that led to fewer than 1,000 illegal immigrants leaving Britain, an inquiry has concluded.The Home Office entered into a botched £30m contract with an outsourcing firm that led to fewer than 1,000 illegal immigrants leaving Britain, an inquiry has concluded.
The report, from the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, was sat on by the Home Office for two months and was only released yesterday on the day before Parliament rises for Christmas.The report, from the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, was sat on by the Home Office for two months and was only released yesterday on the day before Parliament rises for Christmas.
It showed that less than 1 per cent of overstayers whose cases had been dealt with by Capita had departed after contact with the firm.It showed that less than 1 per cent of overstayers whose cases had been dealt with by Capita had departed after contact with the firm.
It also concluded that Capita had mistakenly overstated the number of illegal immigrants leaving the country by more than a quarter.It also concluded that Capita had mistakenly overstated the number of illegal immigrants leaving the country by more than a quarter.
The report found that the so-called migration refusal pool – the number of foreign nationals since December 2008 who have been refused leave to stay in the UK – stood at 173,562 in June this year, compared with 174,057 in June 2012.The report found that the so-called migration refusal pool – the number of foreign nationals since December 2008 who have been refused leave to stay in the UK – stood at 173,562 in June this year, compared with 174,057 in June 2012.
John Vine, the Chief Inspector, said his findings could “undermine public confidence in immigration control” and called on the Home Office to do more to ensure that Capita “records departures correctly and [that] removals statistics are not claimed in error”.John Vine, the Chief Inspector, said his findings could “undermine public confidence in immigration control” and called on the Home Office to do more to ensure that Capita “records departures correctly and [that] removals statistics are not claimed in error”.
The report will embarrass Theresa May, the Home Secretary, as it comes after she scrapped the discredited UK Border Agency and brought its functions back within the Home Office to improve performance. In his annual report, also released yesterday, Mr Vine said he was still finding “too much evidence that the Home Office does not get the basics right”.The report will embarrass Theresa May, the Home Secretary, as it comes after she scrapped the discredited UK Border Agency and brought its functions back within the Home Office to improve performance. In his annual report, also released yesterday, Mr Vine said he was still finding “too much evidence that the Home Office does not get the basics right”.
In his report into overstayers Mr Vine criticised a contract signed with Capita in 2012 to identify and contact people in the migration refusal pool and encourage them to leave. He said he had asked the Home Office to provide him with examples of cases where people had left voluntarily after being contacted by Capita, adding that this had happened in only two of the 25 cases sampled. John Vine, Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (PA) In his report into overstayers Mr Vine criticised a contract signed with Capita in 2012 to identify and contact people in the migration refusal pool and encourage them to leave. He said he had asked the Home Office to provide him with examples of cases where people had left voluntarily after being contacted by Capita, adding that this had happened in only two of the 25 cases sampled.
Even in those two cases the degree of contact was limited to a letter having been sent out by the company – and there was no evidence that the letter had resulted in the departure.Even in those two cases the degree of contact was limited to a letter having been sent out by the company – and there was no evidence that the letter had resulted in the departure.
“We [then] asked the Home Office to provide some cases where contact had definitely been made and a departure had resulted. We were told that there was no way of identifying such cases,” he said.“We [then] asked the Home Office to provide some cases where contact had definitely been made and a departure had resulted. We were told that there was no way of identifying such cases,” he said.
In another sampling exercise Mr Vine found that 16 of 57 records which were closed because the migrant had been discovered to have left the UK were completed in error.In another sampling exercise Mr Vine found that 16 of 57 records which were closed because the migrant had been discovered to have left the UK were completed in error.
He estimated that, as a result of this, departures in 2013/14 could have been overstated by more than 1,140 – which is more than a quarter of the total of 4,080 claimed by Capita in that year.He estimated that, as a result of this, departures in 2013/14 could have been overstated by more than 1,140 – which is more than a quarter of the total of 4,080 claimed by Capita in that year.
Yvette Cooper, the shadow Home Secretary, said the report revealed a “catalogue of chaos at the Home Office”.Yvette Cooper, the shadow Home Secretary, said the report revealed a “catalogue of chaos at the Home Office”.
“Theresa May promised to tackle overstaying, but she has completely failed. She signed an expensive contract and it hasn’t had any impact at all.“Theresa May promised to tackle overstaying, but she has completely failed. She signed an expensive contract and it hasn’t had any impact at all.
“And she has tried once again to bury this report, releasing it on the last full day of Parliament after sitting on it for months, even after the Chief Inspector warned that the Home Secretary’s delays and decisions on the timing of his reports [were] undermining his independence.”“And she has tried once again to bury this report, releasing it on the last full day of Parliament after sitting on it for months, even after the Chief Inspector warned that the Home Secretary’s delays and decisions on the timing of his reports [were] undermining his independence.”
Ms May did not respond directly to the report but James Brokenshire, the Immigration and Security minister, said: “We scrapped the failing UK Border Agency and brought its work back under the control of ministers partly in order to sort out that mess.Ms May did not respond directly to the report but James Brokenshire, the Immigration and Security minister, said: “We scrapped the failing UK Border Agency and brought its work back under the control of ministers partly in order to sort out that mess.
“We are committed to building an immigration system which is fair to British citizens and legitimate migrants and, as this report makes clear, applying a rigour to the immigration system that it has been lacking for many years.”“We are committed to building an immigration system which is fair to British citizens and legitimate migrants and, as this report makes clear, applying a rigour to the immigration system that it has been lacking for many years.”