HL Deb 06 February 2001 vol 621 cc95-6WA
Lord Rea

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What progress has been made on the introduction of the casework programme of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. [HL640]

Lord Bassam of Brighton

In 1996 Siemens Business Services Ltd and the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) of the Home Office agreed a specification and contract for the development and operation of an integrated casework system. For a number of reasons delivery in the timescale originally anticipated did not occur.

Officials have however worked closely with Siemens to ensure that the Information Technology (IT) provided by it supports the expansion of immigration casework and current priorities. The systems already operating as an interim solution, with which the directorate has achieved 110,000 asylum decisions this year, provide the practical support needed. The original full casework application now seems over-complex and out of touch with current working practices. IND has accordingly agreed with Siemens that it should stand down the resources it is using to develop the full casework application.

Siemens continues to work actively in partnership with IND on a programme of further improvements to IND's current IT, to be completed over the next year. IND and Siemens will together work through the consequent changes to the contract and payment schedule. At present, there is no change to the current contract, which runs to October 2003.