March 2026 snapshot

HOME OFFICE BIOMETRICS (HOB) PROGRAMME

Information and Communications Technology (ICT)

Record date: 31 March 2026

Whole-life cost: £1.8bn
Published schedule: 01/04/2014 – 31/12/2026
NISTA delivery confidence: AMBER
Senior responsible owner: Jason Dewhurst

What the project is for

Home Office wide convergence programme for biometrics within Government. Home Office Biometrics systems manage unique, digitised and verified identities formed from an individual’s biometric data. The modalities currently used are fingerprint, facial image and DNA. They provide for the fast, accurate and reliable identification of individuals critical to business operations within Law enforcement, Immigration, Borders, Passport and Criminal Justice.

Departmental delivery commentary

Compared with Q4 2024/25, the NISTA/SRO Delivery Confidence Assessment (DCA) rating at Q4 2025/26 remains Amber. This reflects the complexity of the Home Office Biometrics (HOB) Programme, which continues to deliver against a broad set of stakeholder requirements within a complex supplier landscape. During 2025/26, the programme has made measurable progress, including successful delivery of key milestones such as Strategic Matcher Stage 1. While challenges remain, the programme continues to advance delivery in line with its overall objectives.

Schedule

Compared to financial year 24/25-Q4, the project's end-date at 25/26-Q4 remained the same. This is primarily due to the following factors‚ delivery has remained on track and activity to transition to a Biometric Service has been progressed to plan in preparation for closure of the programme.

Cost

Compared to financial year 24/25-Q4, the project's departmentally agreed Whole Life Cost at 25/26-Q4 (measured in £m) increase from £1,561m to £1,746m. This is primarily due to the following factors: Increase in programme cost, additional year reported and increase in Business As Usual (BAU)/Live Run cost.

Benefits

Compared to financial year 24/25-Q4, the programmes departmentally agreed Benefits at 25/26-Q4 increased slightly from £110m in 24/25 to £117m in 25/26. This is primarily due to an updated benefits profile, including increased benefits associated with fingerprint matching.