National Asylum Support Service (Hansard, 10 March 2003)

§ Lord Filkin

The Government have previously announced an independent review of the operations of the National Asylum Support Service (NASS). The independent review has now been established with the following terms of reference:

To review the organisation, management and staffing and expertise within NASS to identify changes necessary in the short to medium term to enable it consistently to achieve the appropriate standards of operational and administrative performance. Consideration of the staffing arrangements should include the balance between permanent, consultant and agency staff and the match between the skills of the staff and the job to be done, including the handling of complex and publicly sensitive projects and business. Consideration of the organisational arrangements should extend to relations with the linkage necessary between procurement and project terms.

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To submit a report, with recommendations, to the Minister of State responsible for immigration matters through the director general of IND by the end of May 2003.

The independent review will be conducted by Gill Noble, CB, formerly director, Law and Order, Health and Local Government, HM Treasury; Ernie Finch, formerly of Marks and Spencer plc; and Alan Barnish, retiring chief executive of Cambridgeshire County Council.