Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to implement the recommendation of the recent report from the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration to introduce a Senior Civil Servant quality lead to spearhead the re-establishment of the quality agenda in the training and mentorship of asylum caseworkers.

We recognise that achieving a sustainable improvement in quality requires a cultural shift towards a shared, collective responsibility across all those working within the asylum system. We have introduced a refreshed governance structure and have appointed an SCS Quality lead for asylum, supported by thematic leads to bridge operational and assurance functions.

Alongside this, a refreshed quality framework has been introduced, with technical staff being upskilled on the tools. Improved collaborative working with appeals colleagues will provide feedback for decision making staff and provide data to drive quality improvements.

There are a number of initiatives and working groups for colleagues to be involved in which will ensure that staff at all levels are engaged, supported, and empowered to contribute to consistently higher quality decision making.