Home Office ditches legacy asylum database, keeps the spreadsheets

Public sector

Years into a serious IT overhaul, MPs say the division nonetheless lacks dependable view of what’s taking place throughout the asylum system

The UK’s long-running asylum IT overhaul could lastly have put the 25-year-old Case Info Database (CID) out to pasture, however Parliament says that officers are nonetheless counting on spreadsheets and disconnected programs to maintain observe of asylum instances. 

A brand new report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) discovered asylum information stays scattered throughout a number of programs, making it tough for officers to trace instances, spot rising backlogs, or perceive the place strain is constructing throughout the broader system.

As of December final yr, the Home Office was still heavily dependent on CID, a decommissioned platform relationship again to the flip of the century, whereas making an attempt to maneuver asylum operations onto Atlas. The PAC’s findings recommend the migration has not solved a extra acquainted authorities IT downside: getting completely different programs to share info.

The committee stated that there’s nonetheless “no single, dependable view of instances throughout the asylum system.” Whereas the Dwelling Workplace instructed MPs it has now totally moved to Atlas for asylum case administration, officers famous that the transition has been complicated, involving legacy information migration, purposeful enhancements, and employees coaching.

MPs additionally heard that some Dwelling Workplace employees proceed to take care of their very own spreadsheets alongside official programs. The committee warned this may depart a number of variations of the identical info in circulation and contribute to ongoing information high quality issues.

One of many larger gaps sits between the Dwelling Workplace and HM Courts & Tribunals Service. The 2 are working to hyperlink their case administration programs, however MPs stated present data-sharing preparations nonetheless make it unattainable to observe a person case by means of all the asylum course of.

The report additionally echoes earlier Nationwide Audit Workplace findings {that a} dependable single document for every asylum seeker continues to be unavailable. Info on points similar to repeat appeals and absconders stays incomplete, inconsistent, or unavailable, whereas MPs stated officers struggled to supply some key figures with confidence.

The committee concluded that departments nonetheless lack the built-in information wanted to know how individuals transfer by means of the asylum system or whether or not makes an attempt to repair one bottleneck are merely creating one other elsewhere.

What’s extra, with out dependable information, MPs stated that they can’t correctly assess whether or not the asylum system is enhancing or whether or not taxpayers are getting worth for cash.

“Departments nonetheless lack built-in, system-wide information and agreed efficiency measures wanted to handle the asylum system successfully,” the PAC report states. “Till these gaps are addressed, senior leaders can’t totally perceive the place pressures are constructing or assess whether or not interventions are working as meant, and Parliament can’t get hold of strong assurance on progress or worth for cash.”

The outdated database could also be on the best way out, however MPs usually are not satisfied the underlying information issues went with it. ®