Fourth Special Report
1. The Constitutional Affairs Committee published
its Second Report of Session 2003-04 on Asylum and Immigration
Appeals on 2 March 2004, as HC 211-I. The Government response
was published on 9 June 2004, as Cm 6236. The Chairman of the
Committee wrote to the Lord Chancellor on 10 June 2004 requesting
clarification of certain issues. The exchange of correspondence
was published as the Committee's Third Special Report of Session
2003-04 (HC 868) on 21 July 2004. Subsequently the Chairman of
the Committee wrote a further letter to the Department about the
issue of unique identification numbers for particular cases. This
letter is printed as Appendix 1 to this Special Report. The Minister's
response to that letter is printed as Appendix 2.
2. We note the reasons cited by the Minister for
not acting more swiftly in relation to setting up a system of
unique identification numbers for individual cases. We find it
hard to believe that with more effort the various departments
involved could not set up a system using a unique identification
number for each case. Although the information technology may
not yet be in place to link up automatically the various different
systems used, it should be possible for a single reference point
to be established from which unique identification numbers for
individual cases could be obtained by e-mail or telephone, so
that a sequential list of such references could be constructed.
These unique identification numbers would significantly assist
in the scrutiny of individual cases.
3. It is the common experience of Members of Parliament
when dealing with constituency cases relating to asylum and other
matters where more than one Department is involved that it is
very difficult to get proper coordination between officials. The
delay caused by the muddle over which file relates to which case
can materially affect the outcome in situations where there is
a pressing need for someone to be allowed to come to the United
Kingdom—for example, when a relative is gravely ill.
4. As the Minister points out in his reply, use of
unique identification numbers is a long-term strategy. However,
it should be possible also to have an interim solution. We will
return to this issue in the near future when we take oral evidence
from the Department.
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