In its report on UK border controls published today, the Home Affairs Committee says the Home Office Warnings Index guidance (HOWI) was being used inappropriately to relax certain border checks, and calls for a thorough review and clarification of their use.
The HOWI guidance was devised in 2007 to deal with potential safety and health emergencies, such as a fire in an airport terminal or to avoid traffic gridlock on motorways serving the channel ports. Nevertheless, it was used at least 50 times between May and July 2011, and 100 times at Calais alone.
“We are shocked at the sheer number of times the HOWI guidelines have been invoked,” says the report.
The committee also concludes that the ‘long and convoluted’ chain of command between ministers, senior management and frontline staff seems to be ‘seriously fragmented’, and recommend a thorough review of the Border Agency’s internal communications.
Intelligence led
However, the pilot scheme allowing Border Agency managers discretion to implement a risk based approach to border checks was showing early signs of success, and should not be abandoned or compromised because of the controversy.
“The UK Border Agency, in common with the rest of the public sector, must learn to deliver its services with fewer resources. Making ‘smarter’ use of its own staff, giving officers on the ground the freedom to make their own judgements, is part of this and the risk-based pilot could be a promising framework for a new approach. Ministers must ensure that this episode does not discourage staff from using their own initiative consistent with the Government’s policies and Ministers are informed within a reasonable period of time.”
Commenting on the publication of the report, chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, Keith Vaz MP, said:
“Border checks carried out at airports and ports in the UK are the final line of defence against those who should be prevented entry.
“The apparent low levels of supervision at the UK Border Agency are highly troubling. The overuse of the HOWI guidelines and the fact that no one appears to have been aware of what was happening demonstrates a lack of oversight and a failure of communication.”
The committee also criticised the refusal of the Home Office to supply it with documents that were made available to the three internal investigations at the UK Border Agency.
“Parliamentary scrutiny is a vital part of UK democracy and the refusal of the Home Office to provide us with several key documents has prevented us from reaching an informed conclusion as to the sequence of events,” said Mr Vaz. “It is also inconsistent with the Government’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
“It is time for a root and branch reform of the way in which the Home Office and the UKBA interact. Only by doing this will we ensure this agency is finally fit for purpose.”