Asylum accommodation and Rwanda partnership scrutinised by the Public Accounts Committee
The Public Accounts Committee holds an evidence session on asylum accommodation and the UK-Rwanda Partnership.
On 8 December 2023, the Chairs of the Public Accounts and Home Affairs Committees wrote to the Comptroller and Auditor General to express concern at the lack of information available to Parliament on spending on the Rwanda partnership and to ask if the NAO would consider the matter.
Meeting details
The NAO’s subsequent factual report on its investigation into the costs of the UK-Rwanda Partnership sets out the costs incurred to date and the Home Office’s estimate of potential costs when the partnership is operational. The report does not conclude on the value for money of the partnership which would depend on whether it deters individuals from making illegal journeys to claim asylum in the UK.
Based on the NAO’s reports into asylum accommodation and the partnership with Rwanda, the Committee will take evidence from senior officials from the Home Office on subjects including:
- the costs incurred to date from the Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda and the basis on which future costs would be incurred when the partnership is operational;
- the Home Office’s oversight and approach to monitoring the partnership;
- the Home Office’s current and future plans for accommodating and detaining people who arrive in the UK to seek asylum;
- the costs of different asylum accommodation and how the Home Office oversees such projects.