Newly released transparency and approval documents reveal scope, costs and core objectives of three year programme with a remit of ‘transforming people capabilities, process and technology underpinning’ the asylum system
Home Office leaders have greenlit a major project in which tens of millions of pounds will be spent on “transforming people capabilities, process and technology” across the UK’s asylum system.
Work on establishing the Asylum Transformation Programme began in 2021 and the initiative formally became part of the Government Major Project Portfolio (GMPP) at the start of 2023/24 year. This was three months before the UK’s asylum backlog peaked at a total of more than 175,000 applicants awaiting a decision. The cost to government of supporting these people stood at £3.6bn a year.
By summer 2024, the backlog had been reduced to fewer than 90,000 – which a newly published project review claims is one of “a number of outcomes… successfully delivered” by the Asylum Transformation Programme.
The formal accounting officer assessment, which was undersigned by Home Office permanent secretary Matthew Rycroft on 29 September, outlines four central “strategic objectives” of the programme, which aims to: build a flexible, sustainable and efficient asylum system; develop a transparent and outcome-focused customer journey; build strong partner and public trust; and improve experience for employees.
Digital platforms will play a key role in delivering “improvements to accommodation processes, technology and data use, and relationships with local authorities, meaning that the Home Office are better at maximising the flow of asylum seekers through the system”, according to the assessment.
Applicants will be provided with “dynamic journeys, receive the right support first time, and receive decisions in line with service standards”, while government agencies will benefit from “greater employee engagement and retention, allied to better tools and processes, resulting in reduced asylum casework processing times”.
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The assessment reveals the planned cost of delivering the programme until its scheduled completion date of March 2026: £65.5m.
Beyond this date, a total of £207m will be spent over the 10-year appraisal period covered by the review. This will a net value return of £879.9m, according to current projections.
The assessment states that the overall programme of work “consists of 27 projects (split between two workstreams) and two supporting initiatives (within a cross-cutting workstream”).
“These projects vary in maturity and scale and will be delivered through a mixture of ‘agile’ and ‘waterfall’ project management approaches,” the document adds. “Each project is supported by a detailed delivery plan, proactive risk and issue management and a robust governance structure.”
Regular accounting officer assessments are a requirement for all programmes in the government major projects portfolio. The reviews cover four aspects of project delivery – regularity, propriety, value for money, and feasibility – all of which were approved by Rycroft for the Asylum Transformation Programme.
“The key and relevant officials across the Home Office including finance, data, and project professionals have reviewed the proposal and provided the necessary level of assurance and authority to procced,” the assessment says. The programme has regular interactions and reviews by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, including quarterly reporting as a result of being a part of the GMPP.”