Thank you for accepting the post of Secretary of State for the Home Department. I am writing to set out the challenges ahead for Government and in particular for your new Department.
As a Government the key overarching domestic challenges for us are: to build on our unprecedented record of economic achievement ensuring our country can compete and win in the global knowledge economy, to take key decisions in the coming period to ensure the long term security and prosperity of our country and its people, to sustain the momentum of public service modernisation showing how investment and the programme of reform is delivering real improvements for ordinary hard working families, and to underline our Government’s commitment to social justice through policies to expand opportunity and tackle the most deep seated causes and symptoms of social exclusion.
Given this context, I am therefore asking all Secretaries of State to identify the key challenges for their Departments and how they propose to deliver against these.
For the Home Office, my priorities are as follows.
First, you should institute an improved framework for the management of offenders, ensuring that the CJS is shaped around targeting the offender and not just the offence, in order to enhance public protection and ensure that the law-abiding majority can live without fear.
In order to deliver this, you should make end-to-end case management in the new National Offender Management Service (NOMS) a reality, and strengthen the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements for serious and high-risk offenders, to further enhance public protection and reduce reoffending. This should be part of a radical improvement in the way that performance is managed, particularly in the Probation Service. You should also respond to the recommendations from recent reports on the management of offenders, particularly the final recommendation in the HMIP report on the Anthony Rice case, which states that ‘there should be a major appraisal of current policy and practice for releasing prisoners from indeterminate sentences.’ This review must examine how we can strengthen the system further to protect the public.
You should introduce contestability and deliver on the prison estates strategy to manage large groups such as prisoners with drugs and mental health problems much more effectively.
Second, on asylum and immigration, I want the success in meeting the tipping point to continue and accelerate. You should effectively implement the New Asylum Model and make additional progress in dealing with the stock of failed asylum seekers and illegal immigrants. The points based system for migration also requires rigorous implementation. You should better co-ordinate IND and NOMS to ensure that our improved policies on deportations are fully implemented. You should continue to take every measure necessary to deal with the foreign prisoner situation.
Third, delivery of the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy, making effective use of the new legislation in the Terrorism Act 2006, is a key priority. Specifically, you should work closely with Ruth Kelly and colleagues across Government on tackling radicalisation and extremism in the UK. There is no place in the UK for those who advocate violence and hatred. We must take decisive action against preachers of hate and groups concerned in terrorism or the glorification of terrorism. With the substantial additional resources provided to the intelligence services and law enforcement agencies, we must ensure they work closely together to develop a much richer understanding of extremist activity in the UK and take appropriate action.
Fourth, on crime and policing, you should build on, and seek to accelerate your predecessor’s success in reducing overall crime. You should improve performance for reducing all types of crime, with a particularly strong focus on violence, drugs, robbery and youth crime. On Police reform, you should strengthen protective services, implement neighbourhood policing, deliver workforce reform and ensure the appropriate boundaries and structures to deliver this. The Police should radically improve their performance on customer and victim satisfaction, so that the performance of the poorest forces rapidly reaches that of the best. I am also keen to build on our successes in the criminal justice system in areas such as offences brought to justice, by strengthening the way we respond to breaches of orders and bail. Any breach should be robustly handled.
Fifth, I am very keen that we do even more to make the policies in the Respect Action Plan a reality, particularly in the most affected communities. Central to this is the implementation of neighbourhood policing. Implementing the Action Plan demands a strong Delivery Plan across Government and within departments, backed by rigorous performance management. There is also scope to strengthen the suite of powers that we currently have, particularly where we can provide remedies faster for communities. I am also concerned by the variation in the application of powers across the country and want to see this reduced.
Sixth, I want to build on the successes that we have had on drug treatment by looking again at how we manage the highest crime-causing prolific drug-users. This may require expansion in capacity of residential rehabilitation and secure drug-treatment units, and to see if there is any read-across from the way we manage other serious offenders. Again, I also want to see variations in the quality and effectiveness of treatment provision in different areas reduced. We should also look again at our approach to alcohol and disorder. There have been notable successes, such as the Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaign campaigns, but there is scope to take this further.
Seventh, you should consider what additional powers are required to prevent and disrupt those whom we know or suspect of being involved in serious and organised crime. In addition, the new Serious and Organised Crime Agency must have an effective performance management regime to ensure that it delivers on its targets, and is properly accountable.
Eighth, I am keen to maximise the benefits of ID management (i.e. all transactions where a declaration of identity is required), including the introduction of ID cards by 2009. The full range of activity relating to identity management needs to be co-ordinated across government to maximise benefits to the citizen. I would like you to identify a Minister to focus closely on this and the agenda across Whitehall.
Ninth, we will need to look again at whether primary legislation is needed to address the issue of Court rulings which over-rule the Government in a way that is inconsistent with other EU countries interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights.
By the end of June, I would welcome your preliminary assessment of key challenges across your Department, including the key milestones and risks in each area, and the main actions you propose to meet these challenges. As a first step, I would be grateful if you come back to me by the end of May on how you have allocated responsibility for key issues and objectives among your Ministerial team. I am keen that we make the very best use of our excellent team in Government.
Your plans will, of course, need to be set against the background of lower growth in funding than in recent years. This means the Zero Based and Efficiency Reviews currently underway, combined with Departmental Capability Reviews, will be a critical input, and I would like you to give these your personal attention to ensure that the department’s spending is effective and fit for purpose as we move forward. In particular, you should use the Capability Reviews as an opportunity to improve the Home Office’s overall focus on performance and delivery. You should also seek improvements in the way that the different elements of the Home Office, and its agencies, interact with one another and with other Government departments.
Thank you for the work you have done in post so far. I look forward to discussing these future challenges with you.
Tony Blair
May 2006
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