UK Inquiry Tracker

Asylum Accommodation and UK-Rwanda partnership

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry

Opened: 11 Mar 2024 Closed: 29 May 2024 Parliament page

Asylum accommodation The Home Office is responsible for asylum and protection in the UK, including supporting destitute people who seek asylum by providing financial support and accommodation. At the end of June 2023, accommodation was provided to around 113,000 people seeking asylum, around 51,000 of whom were staying in hotels. … Read more Asylum accommodation The Home Office is responsible for asylum and protection in the UK, including supporting destitute people who seek asylum by providing financial support and accommodation. At the end of June 2023, accommodation was provided to around 113,000 people seeking asylum, around 51,000 of whom were staying in hotels. In 2022-23, the Home Office spent around £3.6 billion on asylum support, of which £2.3 billion was spent on hotels and £0.4 billion on other types of accommodation. The Home Office wants to reduce the use of hotels and is trying to procure accommodation in local areas while people wait for an asylum decision. It is also using, or seeking to use, sites such as barges or disused military bases. The Illegal Migration Act 2023 will place a duty on the Home Secretary to remove all those who arrive irregularly to the UK, and gives powers to the Home Office to detain people prior to their removal. This may bring about a significant change in the type of accommodation the Home Office requires. Rwanda partnership In April 2022, the government announced a Migration and Economic Development Partnership with the Government of Rwanda. The partnership, administered by the Home Office, falls under the government’s third country asylum processing policy. This is a process whereby individuals identified as being in the UK illegally, or seeking asylum after arriving illegally, are relocated to a safe third country. The partnership is designed to deter people from making illegal journeys to the UK. It runs for five years until April 2027, and may be renewed. Under the partnership, the UK government provides development funding to Rwanda and will meet processing and integration costs for each relocated person. In November 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that the policy was unlawful and the Government responded by introducing the Safety of Rwanda Bill, which is currently making its passage through Parliament. There has been very limited transparency of the costs of the partnership and the Permanent Secretary of the Home Office requested a Ministerial Direction on the grounds there was insufficient evidence to conclude the policy would deliver value for money. On 8 December 2023, the Chairs of the Public Accounts and Home Affairs Committees wrote to the Comptroller and Auditor General to express concern at the lack of information available to Parliament on spending on the Rwanda partnership and to ask if the NAO would consider the matter. The NAO’s subsequent factual report on its investigation into the costs of the UK-Rwanda Partnership sets out the costs incurred to date and the Home Office’s estimate of potential costs when the partnership is operational. The report does not conclude on the value for money of the partnership which would depend on whether it deters individuals from making illegal journeys to claim asylum in the UK. Based on the NAO’s reports into asylum accommodation and the partnership with Rwanda , the Committee will take evidence from senior officials from the Home Office on subjects including: the costs incurred to date from the Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda and the basis on which future costs would be incurred when the partnership is operational; the Home Office’s oversight and approach to monitoring the partnership; the Home Office’s current and future plans for accommodating and detaining people who arrive in the UK to seek asylum; the costs of different asylum accommodation and how the Home Office oversees such projects. The Committee’s inquiry will not consider the merits of asylum policy. The Committee is also unable to consider individual cases. If you need help with an individual problem you are having, you may wish to contact your constituency MP . If you have evidence on these issues, please submit it here by 23:59 on Tuesday 2 April 2024. Please look at the requirements for written evidence submissions and note that the Committee cannot accept material as evidence that is published elsewhere. This inquiry was closed due to the 2024 General Election. Show less

4 Recommendations

28 Conclusions

1 Report

1 Oral session

2 Letters

1 Event

Activity timeline 6 events

11 Jul
2025

Report published

Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Thirty-fourth report from Session 2023-24

29 May
2024

Report published

Thirty-Fourth Report - Asylum Accommodation and UK-Rwanda partnership

20 May
2024

Correspondence

Correspondence from David Fairbrother, Treasury Officer of Accounts, HM Treasury, re Follow up to 15 April PAC hearing on Asylum Accommodat…

29 Apr
2024

Correspondence

Correspondence from Sir Matthew Rycroft, Permanent Secretary, Home Office, re Asylum Accommodation and UK-Rwanda partnership, dated 25 Apri…

15 Apr
2024

Oral evidence

The cost of the Rwanda Partnership and Asylum Accommodation

15 Apr
2024

Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 15, Palace of Westminster

The cost of the Rwanda Partnership and Asylum Accommodation

Oral evidence sessions 1 session

15 Apr 2024

View on parliament.uk

The cost of the Rwanda Partnership and Asylum Accommodation

Dan Hobbs · Home Office Joanna Rowland · Home Office Simon Ridley · Home Office Sir Matthew Rycroft KCMG CBE · Home Office

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
Thirty-Fourth Report - Asylum Accommodation and UK-Rwanda partne…	HC 639	29 May 2024	32	Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

7 results

6 Recommendation Acknowledged

Thirty-Fourth Report - Asylum Acco…

Urgently publish outstanding Accounting Officer Assessments and explain third country processing negotiations.

We are disappointed that, despite the Committee previously raising concerns, the Permanent Secretary is still not providing the necessary transparency to enable Parliament to hold the Home Office to account on its asylum and immigration plans. We have previously raised … Read more

Government Response

The Home Office commits to producing and publishing outstanding Accounting Officer Assessments as quickly as possible, pending ministerial views, but indicates some will not be published yet due to ongoing discussions. On negotiations, it will write to the Committee in due course but maintains the sensitive nature requires privacy.

HM Treasury

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7 Conclusion Acknowledged

Thirty-Fourth Report - Asylum Acco…

Home Office lacks precise figures for Illegal Migration Act removals and Rwanda relocations.

We asked the Home Office how many people it planned to remove under the Illegal Migration Act. At our evidence session, the Home Office told us that it estimated at 28 December 2023 there were 33,000 people that the Home … Read more

Government Response

The government notes the committee's observations but states they are no longer relevant as the Migration Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda is ending, meaning no removals will take place under this scheme.

HM Treasury

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10 Conclusion Acknowledged

Thirty-Fourth Report - Asylum Acco…

Home Office unable to explain significant additional escort training costs for Rwanda scheme.

The Home Office has estimated that it would cost £11,000 to fly each relocated individual to Rwanda. Witnesses told us that this was an internal estimate and actual costs would depend on a number of variables. The Home Office will … Read more

Government Response

The government stated it has already provided details on overall Rwanda partnership funding and confirmed the Migration and Economic Development Partnership will be ending, meaning no removals to Rwanda.

HM Treasury

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25 Conclusion Acknowledged

Thirty-Fourth Report - Asylum Acco…

Accounting Officer could not confirm Rwanda policy offers value for money without deterrence evidence.

Accounting Officers are responsible for approving, in advance, all significant initiatives, policies, programmes and projects, and should provide assurance to Parliament that those activities are meeting the accounting officer standards set out in Managing Public Money – regularity, propriety, value … Read more

Government Response

HM Treasury

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28 Conclusion Acknowledged

Thirty-Fourth Report - Asylum Acco…

Home Office delayed publishing Rwanda programme costs assessment, hindering timely Parliamentary scrutiny.

The Chairs of the Public Accounts and Home Affairs Committees have repeatedly questioned the Home Office about the lack of information available to Parliament on costs the Rwanda partnership.48 Despite raising these concerns over the Accounting Officer’s willingness to share … Read more

Government Response

The government agrees with the importance of producing Accounting Officer Assessments (AOAs) and commits to producing new ones promptly, but states implementation dates are to be advised and ministerial views remain part of the process, which the committee identified as a cause for delay.

HM Treasury

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29 Conclusion Acknowledged

Thirty-Fourth Report - Asylum Acco…

We therefore asked the Accounting Officer (AO) why there had been such a delay in...

We therefore asked the Accounting Officer (AO) why there had been such a delay in sharing the assessment with Parliament. The Accounting Officer told us that they kept their assessments under constant review, but that the publication of AO assessment … Read more We therefore asked the Accounting Officer (AO) why there had been such a delay in sharing the assessment with Parliament. The Accounting Officer told us that they kept their assessments under constant review, but that the publication of AO assessment summaries has to be agreed by relevant Ministers. They explained that, on the Sovereign Borders Programme, the Home Secretary had decided to make it public in March 2024. We reminded the Accounting Officer that he is accountable to the Public Accounts Committee and Parliament, noting that other departments have shared assessments in a much more timely manner, without Ministerial approval being a barrier.50 HM Treasury guidance states that departments need to publish summary assessments promptly when a project is included in the Government Major Projects Portfolio. In some cases, the timing might depend on other sensitivities, such as commercial confidentiality, and the accounting officer may decide public interest is best served by delaying publication. In such circumstances, the Accounting Officer should nonetheless still share a copy of the summary assessment on a confidential basis with the chairs of the Public Accounts Committee and relevant departmental committees, along with an explanation of the need 47 Qq 123, 129–130, 132; C&AG’s Report, UK-Rwanda partnership, para 10 48 Public Accounts Committee, Oral Evidence; Reducing the harm from illegal drugs, 4 December 2023, Qq 1–50 49 Qq 1, 7, 14, 22, 27; Letter from Matthew Rycroft, Permanent Secretary, Home Office, to Dame Meg Hillier DBE MP, Chair, Public Accounts Committee, Home Office Sovereign Borders Programme: Summary Accounting Officer Assessment, dated 27 March 2024 50 Qq 1–4, 10–13 18 Asylum Accommodation and UK-Rwanda partnership for confidentiality. In written evidence provided after the evidence session, HM Treasury noted that there may be circumstances where the accounting officer determines they are unable to share information with the Committee as they Show less

Government Response

HM Treasury

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32 Conclusion Acknowledged

Thirty-Fourth Report - Asylum Acco…

When asked for an update, the Home Office said that it was important that the...

When asked for an update, the Home Office said that it was important that the substance of any negotiations with any other countries was kept private, and that it would not share the information in public. We noted that it … Read more When asked for an update, the Home Office said that it was important that the substance of any negotiations with any other countries was kept private, and that it would not share the information in public. We noted that it was important that the Committee, and the Home Affairs Committee, were as updated as possible on these matters. The Accounting Officer offered to “pursue the possibility of briefing a number of you behind 51 HM Treasury, Accounting Officer Assessments – Guidance,_May_2023, part 4; Letter from David Fairbrother, Treasury Officer of Accounts, HM Treasury, to Dame Meg Hillier DBE MP, Follow up to 15 April – Asylum Accommodation and UK Rwanda partnership, dated 8 May 2024, paras 12–17 52 Qq 11–12, 16; Letter from Matthew Rycroft, Permanent Secretary, Home Office, to Dame Meg Hillier DBE MP and Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson DBE MP, Chairs, Public Accounts Committee and Home Affairs Committee - Asylum Accommodation and UK-Rwanda partnership, dated 25 April 2024 53 Letter from David Fairbrother, Treasury Officer of Accounts, HM Treasury, to Dame Meg Hillier DBE MP, Follow up to 15 April – Asylum Accommodation and UK Rwanda partnership, dated 8 May 2024, paras 2 - 6 54 Qq 16, 18–19 55 Letter from Matthew Rycroft, Permanent Secretary, Home Office, to Dame Meg Hillier DBE MP and Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson DBE MP, Chairs, Public Accounts Committee and Home Affairs Committee – Asylum Accommodation and UK-Rwanda partnership, dated 25 April 2024 56 Qq 30–32, 39–40, 64–66, 77, 82, 106 Asylum Accommodation and UK-Rwanda partnership 19 the scenes”. They acknowledged that there would be a significant lead time, similar to that of the Rwanda partnership, to agree to and implement any further partnerships.57 The Home Office provided written evidence after the session and confirmed that, working with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, it had approached other countries to assess their level of interest in working with the UK as third country asylum partners. Show less

Government Response

The government maintains that details of negotiations with other countries for third-country processing must remain private due to sensitivity, but states it will write to the new Committee in due course to provide updates as necessary.

HM Treasury

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Government Response AI assessment · 32 of 4 classified

Accepted 16

Acknowledged 7

Deferred 2

Not Addressed 4

Rejected 3

Total 4 recs + 28 conclusions

Correspondence 2 letters

20 May 2024 Correspondence from David Fairbrother, Treasury Officer of Accounts, HM Treasury, re Follow up to 15 April PAC hearing on Asylum Accommodation and UK-Rwanda Partnership, dated 8 May 2024

Parliament page

29 Apr 2024 Correspondence from Sir Matthew Rycroft, Permanent Secretary, Home Office, re Asylum Accommodation and UK-Rwanda partnership, dated 25 April 2024

Parliament page