Select Committee on Home Affairs Memoranda of Evidence

MEMORANDUM 1

Replies by the Home Office to Questions submitted by the Committee

APPLICATIONS FOR CITIZENSHIP

  30.   Why have the numbers applying for British citizenship (set out in Table 17.vi) risen so significantly since 1992? What measures are being taken to deal with the growing backlog in applications? When is it expected to see a significant reduction in the backlog?

  (i)  Before the transitional provisions of the British Nationality Act 1981 came to an end on 31 December 1987, applications for British citizenship were running at the level of 60-65,000 applications a year. However, in 1987 the Home Office received nearly 300,000 applications for British citizenship and it is considered that, were it not for the ending of certain entitlements to registration, many of the applications received in 1987 would have been made in slower time in subsequent years. In 1988 only 32,000 applications were received but the number of applications received has grown steadily each year since then. In addition, other factors such as the abolition of the British Visitor's Passport (which revealed a large number of BOP holders who were not entitled to them), the visa requirements of some AEU countries and the re-interpretation of the nationality laws of some countries so as to allow dual citizenship, have also contributed to the increased demand for British citizenship.

  (ii)  The Nationality Directorate is part of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate's Casework Programme which will produce a new computer system for IND and a team-based, leaner caseworking structure. The Programme is being delivered under a Private Finance Initiative agreed by the previous Government. The efficiencies this will bring about together with organisational and procedural changes introduced in the Nationality Directorate will help to reduce the backlog in applications and average waiting times. It is difficult to predict when the backlog will have reduced significantly, but it is expected that noticeable improvements will have been achieved by the end of the year.

PASSPORT AGENCY

  31.   What factors account for the significant fluctuations in the revenue received as appropriations in aid for the Passport Agency for 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99 (see Annex 8, section M)?

  (i)  Until 31 March 1998, UKPA operated on a Gross Running Costs control basis. Income from passport fees (the vast majority of the Agency's income) was paid over to the Consolidated Fund and could not be appropriated in aid. The small amount of appropriations in aid for 1996-97 relates to income from other sources, such as requests by customers to have their passports returned by registered post.

  (ii)  During 1997-98, UKPA obtained approval from HM Treasury to operate on a Net Running Costs control basis from 1 April 1998. The large increases in appropriations in aid for 1998-99 therefore relates to passport fees being added to the ambit of Vote 1 appropriations in aid for UKPA.

  (iii)  During 1997-98, UKPA obtained two supplementary Estimates to the value of £5.5 million, in order to fund levels of business higher than originally forecast. Anticipating the Agency's likely move to a net regime, HM Treasury agreed that these increases in business be funded, vote-neutrally, by corresponding increases in appropriations in aid from the additional passport fees generated. Hence, some passport fees have been described as appropriations in aid for 1997-98.

RESOURCE ACCOUNTING

  32.   Please indicate the financial years in respect of which dummy estimates and dummy accounts based on the new resource accounting system will first be prepared, and when these documents are expected to be completed. (If any have already been prepared, it would be helpful if the Committee could be sent a copy.)

  (i)  An illustrative set of resources accounts using 1996-97 data has been prepared as part of a package supporting the Home Office application to proceed to dry run resource accounting for 1998-99. A copy of the illustrative accounts is attached as requested.[3]

  (ii)  A draft illustrative Main Estimate has been produced for 1997-98 using projections for that year. This will be used as an example in the Treasury July memorandum on RAB; a copy of the illustration will be forwarded when the final version is agreed with Treasury.

  33.   What difficulties have been encountered in adapting to resource accounting? In particular, have any difficulties been encountered in establishing values for capital assets?

  (i)  The implementation of resource accounting is still at an early stage in the Home Office. The Department is operating on a cash basis, so there have been no problems of adaptation at present. A project plan is in place to ensure a smooth transition. The current accounting system is able to operate on both a cash and an accruals basis and there is a programme of training to ensure staff are able to adapt to RAB readily.

  (ii)  In respect of the valuation of capital assets, the Home Office has had an asset register in place for some years. The Department have recently changed the software on which the asset register is maintained, and now have the non-agency Home Office asset register integrated with the General Ledger. The values shown on the previous asset register were transferred across with all asset details to the register, with effect from 1 April 1996. Most Home Office properties have recently been professionally revalued.

  (iii)  Previously, when producing their agency accounts, the Prison Service have used their own professional surveyors to value land and buildings. The Inland Revenue Valuation Office have validated the method used. However, under resource accounting the Treasury state that land and buildings should be subject to professional external valuation at intervals of not more than 5 years. Previous quotes for external valuation work have been in excess of £1 million. The Prison Service are discussing the matter with HM Treasury and the National Audit Office.

HOME OFFICE ADMINISTRATION

  34.   What changes, if any, have been made or are planned in the administrative structure of the Home Office since May 1997?

Prison Service

  (i)  The report of the Prison Service Review, published on 10 November 1997, recommended a number of organisational changes within Prison Service headquarters as part of a programme to improve the managerial effectiveness of the Service.

  (ii)  The changes now implemented include:

  the appointment of a new post of Director of Regimes at Prisons Board level, supported by Assistant Directors (members of the Senior Civil Service) with separate, specific responsibility for young offenders; women; adult males; lifers and parole; and prisoner administration; and

  the appointment of a Deputy Director General, to formalise the deputising arrangements and act as gate keeper for business to be put to the Prisons Board and Executive Committee.

  Work has started to address the need identified by the Review for a clear statement of the respective responsibilities of the Prison Board, the Executive Committee and their subcommittees, making clear the different authority of each level and listing the extant subcommittees and their terms of reference.

Core Home Office

  The following changes have been made in the core Home Office:

the establishment of a Corporate Development Directorate, with responsibility for the Home Office modernisation programme and for the provision of accommodation and IT services;

the National Criminal Intelligence Service was established as an independent body under a service authority on 1 April 1998;

and the Police Information Technology Organisation became a non-departmental public body, also on 1 April 1998.

  35.   How many of the 113 persons working within the Senior Civil Service (see annex 17) have had significant working experience outside (a) the Home Office (and agencies) (b) the civil service?

  As per annex 17, the number of persons working in the Senior Civil Service is actually 133. A 1997 survey of the Senior Civil Service, for which 104 responses were received, showed:

(a)  64 members of the Senior Civil Service (61.53 per cent) had two or more years experience outside the Home Office (and agencies);

(b)  35 members of the Senior Civil Service (33.65 per cent) had two or more years experience outside the Civil Service.

  36.   What current statistics are available for the time taken to deal with correspondence from Members of Parliament?

  From 1 January to 25 June 1998 11,599 items of Members of Parliament's correspondence had been received, 3,834 of which (33 per cent) are still outstanding. The statistics for the time taken to deal with such correspondence are:

Total number of cases:	Total number of cases where final reply to correspondence was more than:			Average number of days between receipt of correspondence and reply:
	15 days	25 days	30 days
11,599	5,817 (50%)	3,141 (27%)	2,263 (19%)	25 days
July 1998

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Prepared 15 September 1998