The Independent Chief Inspector publishes 5 reports.
Inspections - ‘ Best Interests’ of unaccompanied asylum seeking children, Victims of Modern Slavery, Stansted Airport, Exit checks, and the “Right to Rent” scheme
An inspection of exit checks
The Home Office’s Exit Check Programme ran from April 2014 until 31 May 2016, when it was formally closed. The inspection concluded that this was premature and makes 1 overarching recommendation: that the Home Office re-establishes the Exit Checks Programme, with appropriate Programme oversight, governance and documentation, in order to drive the improvements needed in data quality and completeness and to coordinate and encourage its effective operational use.
An Inspection of Border Force operations at Stansted Airport
The report contains 9 recommendations, the most relevant in terms of further improving staff engagement and performance at Stansted relate to Border Force’s internal communications and the provision of appropriate training.
An inspection of the “Right to Rent” scheme.
This inspection focused on the ‘Residential Tenancies’ measures introduced in the 2014 and 2016 Immigration Acts in support of the creation of a “compliant environment”. It makes 4 recommendations, all of which point to the need for more grip and urgency from the Home Office in managing the “Right to Rent” scheme.
A re-inspection of Border Force’s identification and treatment of Potential Victims of Modern Slavery
The original inspection, published on 2 February 2017, made 12 recommendations. The re-inspection found that Border Force had done a good deal of work towards implementing the recommendations, but that some remained “open”.
An inspection of how the Home Office considers the ‘best interests’ of unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
This report contains 2 recommendations, each broken down into several parts, and identifies a considerable amount of work for the Home Office to do to improve its handling of unaccompanied asylum seeking children.