Justice outsourced: why Concentrix’s tax credit mistakes matter

Administrative justice issues rarely attract the attention they deserve. However, the recent revelations about the tax credit checks undertaken by Concentrix on behalf of HMRC – and the poor service inflicted upon people – highlights a fundamental challenge to administrative justice posed by outsourcing and privatisation. Robert Thomas and Joe Tomlinson argue that the episode highlights the need for government to take administrative justice more seriously when it contracts out important tasks to private companies.