Home Office criticised by statistics watchdog after refusing to give data on controversial immigration policy for ‘confusing and unclear’ reasons

The Home Office had been criticised by the UK’s statistics watchdog for giving “confusing and unclear” reasons for refusing to reveal how many immigrants are unable to access any kind of benefit.

Last month, the home secretary was asked in a parliamentary question submitted by Labour MP Stephen Timms how many people were given immigration status subject to the “no recourse to public funds” (NRPF) condition, which prevents migrants from accessing state support, in 2019.

The status, which had been blamed for causing poverty before the pandemic, has created significant problems during the coronavirus crisis because it has excluded many people who are struggling during the lockdown from accessing public assistance.

Kevin Foster said in response to Mr Timms that he was “unable to provide” the figure because the data was “not assured to the standard required by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for publication and as it would be too costly to do so“.

Mr Timms, who chairs the Work and Pensions Committee, proceeded to write to the chair of the UK Statistics Authority, Sir David Norgrove, to ask him whether he regarded this as an “acceptable reason for declining to answer such a straightforward question”.

In response, Sir David said he “agreed that the response was confusing and unclear about why the data could not be provided”.

He continued: “The application of the NRPF condition to those staying in the UK has been a significant focus of attention in past months yet data and statistics to inform the discussion are lacking.”

The regulatory arm of the UK Statistics Authority have contacted the Home Office’s head of profession for statistics, who is investigating how good quality statistics can be developed, Sir David said.

“In the meantime we would urge the Home Office to look to publish estimates, while recognising that these will have larger margins of error. This would be acceptable under the code of practice for statistics provided the uncertainties were described appropriately,” he added.

It comes after a report by the Work and Pensions Committee on Monday urged ministers to suspend the rule during the crisis, warning that it forced migrant workers to make the “invidious” choice between “financial ruin” or risking their lives as they continue to work.

Last month, Boris Johnson appeared unaware of the status when questioned by MPs at a committee hearing, and he said he would look into the issue.

Mr Timms told The Independent: “During the coronavirus pandemic, many of those with no recourse to public funds are facing destitution, and the issue has attracted significant public attention. It is therefore vital that good data in this area – or at least good estimates – are made available.

“The Prime Minister said at the liaison committee that he would find out how many people are in this position. I am optimistic that the information will now be provided.”

The Home Office has come under mounting pressure to suspend the NRPF policy in recent weeks, including from local councils and the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, both of whom say it is hindering their efforts to help thousands of rough sleepers off the streets during the pubic health crisis.

A government spokesperson said: “Extensive action to support those with no recourse to public funds has been taken, such as rent protections, the Job Retention Scheme, the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme, allocating £3.2bn to local authorities and £750m for charities to support the most vulnerable.

“The Home Office does not routinely collect or publish data on those with no recourse to public funds but is considering how best to produce statistics in this area.”