Question
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answers of 25 July 2019 to Question 280367 and 17 July 2019 to Question 276193 and with reference to the findings of the independent assessment commissioned by the Joint Funds Unit which identified areas where the process could be improved, what specific recommendations were made for improving the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance process.
Answer
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office lead HMG policy on the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance (OSJA) Guidance. The Joint Funds Unit audit of CSSF OSJAs showed that the OSJA process was closely adhered to by programme teams. Although OSJAs are not required to be completed until after programme design is finalised, the audit found that many programme managers considered OSJA from earlier in the process, ensuring that human rights considerations were built into programmes from the initial stages.
The audit found that a number of simple improvements, such as ensuring the audit trail of approvals is completed, would help improve the quality of OSJAs across the board and better reflect the level of analysis given to human rights risks.
As stated in the answer to Question 280367, in response to the audit’s recommendations the JFU is updating CSSF programmatic guidance and the Stabilisation Unit is updating its core security and justice training for HMG staff to align with the revised guidance.
There are no plans to publish the OSJA audit or the recommendations in full.