Policy paper

Response to the ICIBI's report: 'An inspection of contingency asylum accommodation (May 2021 to November 2021)'

Published 12 May 2022

The Home Office thanks the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) for the inspection report and assessment of contingency asylum accommodation.

The Home Office is pleased that the ICIBI recognises the commitment and dedication of staff and the overall conclusion that service providers delivered accommodation broadly in line with the statement of requirements.

The Home Office accepts all recommendations.

The Home Office response to the recommendations:

The Home Office should:

1. Conduct a review of the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts, including the volume caps, key performance indicators and the approach to provider delivery that goes ‘above and beyond’ the Statement of Requirements, to ensure they can adapt to fluctuations in intake levels and are fit for purpose for the remainder of the contract period.

1.1 Accepted

1.2 Work commenced on a full and overarching review of the AASC contracts in early January. The Review is well developed and will address the challenges facing the AASC contracts. It will set out recommendations as to how the Home Office may return improved value for money and provide a sustainable solution going forward. We expect to complete this review by May 2022. We will also conduct a further review of the key performance indicators from a Continuous Improvement point of view, given what we have learned of the operation of the contracts in practice, over their first two years. We aim to complete this work by the end of the calendar year.

2. Develop effective consultation mechanisms with local authorities and their associated wraparound services (health, education, etc) to enable constructive engagement prior to the establishment of contingency asylum accommodation and to facilitate the delivery of additional Dispersed Accommodation.

2.1 Accepted

2.2 Work has already begun on a new Asylum Support and Contracts Engagement Strategy which will set out how the Home Office will seek to work and engage with Local Authorities and other key partners.

2.3 During production of the new strategy, we will review the existing Standard Operating Procedures relating to the procurement of Contingency Sites and Dispersal Accommodation to ensure that they focus on effective consultation. This will look to address the Home Office need to move quickly in a dynamic and fast-paced environment with the wish of key partners to be involved in the decision-making process. We will also seek to utilise the expertise of the Strategic Migration Partnerships in facilitating constructive engagement.

3. Develop effective plans and forecasts for the continuing intake (and seasonal peaks) from small boat arrivals and their impact on the contingency asylum accommodation estate.

3.1 Accepted

3.2 We will develop an assessment of any seasonal patterns in small boat arrivals and of the frequency and size of peaks in arrivals, which can be used for assessing likely variation in intake and resulting requirements for contingency accommodation. We will further assess lead indicators for surges in asylum intake and develop monitoring to provide early warning of intake demand increases, as well as accompanying plans for action around such increases.

4. Develop realistic plans to end the use of hotels for contingency asylum accommodation, with realistic targets for the procurement of additional Dispersed Accommodation by the service providers, acknowledging that the current target date of March 2022 is unachievable.

4.1 Accepted

4.2 The Government announced, on 13 April, that all local authority areas in England, Scotland and Wales are now expected to participate in asylum dispersal, so that all areas can accommodate supported asylum seekers. This will allow us to procure more dispersal accommodation so we can reduce the reliance on hotel accommodation.

4.3 To recognise the existing contribution and longstanding support from local authorities, each local authority in England, Scotland and Wales that was accommodating asylum seekers on 27 March will receive a £250 one off payment per asylum seeker accommodated in their local authority area. This will be paid before 30 June 2022. Further funding has been made available for 2022/2023 to provide £3,500 for each additional dispersal bed space occupied, in both new and existing dispersal areas, between 28 March 2022 and 31 March 2023.

4.4 We will, shortly, invite views from Local Authorities and other interested parties to take part in an informal eight-week consultation to shape the design of procurement in regions/Nations. We will work in partnership with Local Authorities and Strategic Migration Partnerships to formulate regional procurement plans. This will provide LAs with more control and autonomy.

4.5 Longer term, the consultation will shape the design of a reformed asylum dispersal system which covers all local authority areas in England, Scotland and Wales and is:

• fair and sustainable
• collaborative, providing increased engagement and involvement of local authorities
• innovative and responsive to changing demands and needs

4.6 Alongside this, we are working to transform the asylum system, streamlining and simplifying processes to speed up decision making to increase efficiency and output, meaning that fewer people will require asylum support. The development and delivery of changes to the asylum process across the end-to-end asylum system includes the introduction of a new operating model, increased use of technology, improved screening and accelerated decision-making procedures to drive delivery efficiency. In addition, we are also working to increase decision making capacity and reduce the Initial Decision work in progress (WiP) through recruitment of additional Asylum Operations decision makers.

5. Resource the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts-Assurance team to ensure it is sufficient to maintain a programme of quarterly (in line with the Service Delivery and Contract Assurance Review document) intelligence-led inspections of all contingency and initial accommodation sites, alongside targeted inspections of dispersal accommodation.

5.1 Accepted

5.2 We have reviewed the role and resources of the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts-Assurance team and are in the process of recruiting to the additional posts. This will provide capacity for additional inspections. We have also created an assurance intelligence function to enable the team’s work to be increasingly intelligence-led and customer focused. We will continue to review the scope and balance of inspection work once the new model has bedded in.

6. Prioritise the delivery of a Home Office data system that provides access to, and effective scrutiny of, all service provider contract performance and delivery data.

6.1 Accepted

6.2 We are working through a range of issues in relation to access to provider data systems, and the Home Office technology that is needed to support fully effective scrutiny.

7. Implement a system to record details of safeguarding issues identified in contingency asylum accommodation, including the accommodation site, issue of concern, and outcome.

7.1 Accepted

7.2 We have been developing enhancements to our IT systems which will more effectively record safeguarding and vulnerability issues. We will continue to focus further attention in this area.