The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answers on 1st September 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked 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.
Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab, Home Office): 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.
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government what is the anticipated timeline for the publication of an impact assessment of the draft Immigration and Asylum Bill; and to what extent that assessment will focus on the issues facing children.
Lord Hanson of Flint: An Impact Assessment and an Equality Impact Assessment for the Immigration and Asylum Bill were published on GOV.UK on 30 June. The Equality Impact Assessment sets out an assessment of how the policies in the Bill may impact children in relation to the protected characteristic of age.
Careful consideration will continue to be given as to how children will be impacted by the measures within the Immigration and Asylum Bill, in line with Section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship, and Immigration Act 2009.
You must be logged in to post a comment.