Asylum Accommodation and UK-Rwanda partnership – Report Summary

Summary

The Home Office is spending significant amounts of money on its asylum and immigration policies. Despite committing significant sums of money to the Rwanda partnership andits large accommodation sites there is little to show for the money spent so far

Following Royal Assent of the Safety of Rwanda Bill in April 2024, the government plans to begin relocating people under its partnership with Rwanda. By the end of March 2024, however, the UK had made payments of £240 million to the Government of Rwanda but had not relocated anyone. Depending on the number of people who are relocated, it could potentially pay billions more. In April 2024, there were more than 50,000 people living in the UK, with no ability to claim asylum, who are officially “pending relocation”. Yet the Home Office is unable to explain what will happen to these people currently left in limbo.

The Home Office has continually failed to be transparent with Parliament about how many people will be relocated, and the potential costs of the programme. Despite the partnership being under development for more than two years, the Accounting Officer’s assessment of the scheme has not changed since April 2022. We remain concerned over the feasibility of relocating large numbers of people, the Home Office’s understanding of the potential costs, and the value for money of the scheme.

We welcome the Home Office’s progress in closing asylum hotels in communities, but its assessment of the requirements for setting up alternative accommodation in large sites fell woefully short of reality and risked wasting taxpayers’ money. In addition, the new sites will not house anywhere near as many people as initially expected, exacerbating existing accommodation issues. The Home Office’s excuse of needing to work at pace does not absolve it of its responsibilities to manage projects effectively and safeguard value for money.