INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
118. Another aspect is the effective use of information
and communications technology in the running of the business.
During visits to Immigration Service offices, we were surprised
to see stacks of manual files and far fewer computer screens than
in most modern offices. Computers are used for:
- Warnings Index database - in operation since
1995 and available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to the Immigration
Service and other government agencies - "the Warnings Index
has been a successful operation"[91]
- Port Administration System casework system -
introduced in 1991 - used at 15 main ports only - "now essentially
a legacy system and very expensive to amend, but the Immigration
Service (IS) is very much reliant upon it"[92]
- corporate desktop system used by the Home Office
(POISE) was extended to 80% of Immigration Service staff by the
end of 2000 to provide end-to- end processing of asylum applications.
119. The Immigration Service does not have at
ports a single computer system on which details of names, dates
of birth, nationality and passports on passenger lists on incoming
flights or sailings can be checked automatically against databases
of criminal records, driving licence applications, credit card
holding, house occupation, in real time. This is available to
the United States Immigration Service. A range of other information
is available to those enforcing border controls, but they are
not all on one system and access to them is dependent upon statutory
gateways, physical separation of offices, availability of other
staff and the effectiveness of local co-operation.
120. We have seen how the introduction of information
technology in other parts of the Home Office, such as the Passport
Office, has gone badly. Equally we have seen other parts of government,
such as the Crown Prosecution Service and the Public Trust Office,
where e-mail is not yet in general use. If the relative under-use
of IT in the Immigration Service was the result of careful risk
assessment, cost benefit analysis and operational need, there
might be something to be said for it. Sadly this does not seem
to be the case: there just have not been the resources to make
better use of IT.[93]
The Home Office accepts this:
"it is absolutely fair to say that [Immigration
and Nationality Department} has been slow in taking advantage
of technology and that it is those working for the Immigration
Service in ports ...who have been less well-served by the availability
of IT we are now moving forward, clearly from a very low base,
I entirely admit... but it has not been adequate and it is now
going to get better".[94]
121. From what we have seen in this inquiry,
Customs and Excise is much more advanced than the Immigration
Service both in using information technology to support its work
and in deploying new equipment at ports. Customs went through
a radical change in January 1993, when free movement of goods
within the EU Single Market was introduced. The Immigration Service
has not had such a life-changing experience. This may reflect
a lack of joined-up working between the Home Office and the other
border agencies. It may also be because Customs' work other than
at ports has given greater opportunities for testing and deploying
new equipment. Effective use of modern IT requires compatible
equipment, properly trained operators and broad band communication
systems to facilitate fast and high capacity image and text transmission.
122. The division of financial responsibility
between different budgets in the Home Office, Customs and Excise
and (51) different police forces must make it difficult to invest
in new equipment which could be used by all border agencies. New
scanners are being acquired by Customs, which is best placed to
justify such new equipment in terms of financial benefits on tobacco
smuggling. Such equipment may also play a role in the prevention
of terrorism but is not designed to be used to detect clandestine
entrants. We suggested in paragraph 117 above that there should
be a joint fund for advanced technology for the border agencies.
We would also expect that individual procurement projects within
individual agencies should take into account the benefits to the
other agencies.
123. The lack of sufficient information and
communications technology in the Immigration Service should be
addressed urgently. The under-investment in such technology has
undoubtedly caused difficulties in maintaining effective border
controls.
124. We recommend that, as progressively a
higher proportion of UK passports are in the new (post 1998) format,
the Passport Application Support System should be made available
at ports to allow the Immigration Service to call up the original
photograph submitted with a UK passport as a protection against
passport forgery.
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