Poor IT hampers Border Agency

The UK Border Agency's points-based immigration control system is being undermined by issues including poor information systems, according to a report by the National Audit Office (NAO). The watchdog says that problems with legacy IT have resulted in inefficient handling of migrant applications made in the UK under the system, introduced in 2008. Caseworkers in the UK have are using many different databases, adding an average of 20% to the time taken to decide an application. The report says that a new casework IT programme is planned, aimed at improving the handling of migrant applications both in the UK and overseas. Although the points-based system was delivered to meet a tight deadline, the NAO found that poor programme management in the initial stages damaged key aspects of the scheme. Inadequate governance and poor IT procurement led to delays, reductions in scope and additional cost. For example, the agency had to pay its supplier, Fujitsu, £4m for work carried out in 2007 developing applications that were not used. To save money, the agency removed planned functionality from the IT system to manage sponsors of migrants, hampering its ability to manage sponsors well. The agency says some 96% of its 22,000 sponsoring employers are complying with the rules, but is unable to say how many it has visited to confirm this. Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, said: "The UK Border Agency's points-based system is not yet delivering its full potential for value for money. "While it is well designed and adaptable, the underlying systems and management information are in need of improvement. "Implementing the radical changes planned for the system in 2011-12 will enable the agency to reconsider its priorities and improve customer service and its assurance over control systems." Immigration minister Damian Green said he is committed to making improvements in the points-based scheme. "This report is exactly why we are making radical reforms to the system, including the introduction of an annual limit on economic migrants, sweeping changes to the student visa system, and a shake-up of the family and settlement route," he said. This article is published by Guardian Professional. For updates on public sector IT, join the Government Computing Network here.