Govt dismisses e-borders firm
By politics.co.uk staff
The company charged with developing the government’s e-borders scheme has been dismissed by immigration minister Damian Green.
Raytheon Systems had performed disappointingly, and would be replaced, but the project would still go ahead, Mr Green said.
The system is designed to count everyone entering and leaving the UK. It has a £750 million budget, of which £188 million has already been sent.
The data was supposed to be ready for cross-referencing against ‘watch lists’ held by police and immigration authorities by March 2014.
“Over recent weeks we have been examining the progress of the programme and it has been extremely disappointing,” Mr Green said.
“While some elements have been delivered, they have not been delivered on time. Delivery of the next critical parts of the programme are already running at least 12 months late.
“On top of this there remain risks of further delays, and there is no confidence in the current prime supplier – Raytheon Systems Limited – being able to address this situation.”
He added: “We need to know who is coming to the country and who has left so that we are able to stop those who are not allowed to come here. A working e-borders programme will help us perform all those vital tasks.
“That is why we have taken this decision, and why we will ensure that the benefits of e-borders are delivered through a programme that meets its targets, so that everyone in this country is made safer.”
The e-borders scheme was a central part of the Labour government’s efforts to counter illegal immigration and was enthusiastically adopted by the coalition government.
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