Transparency data

Migration Advisory Committee minutes, 11 December 2020

Published 28 July 2021

134th meeting of the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC)

Friday 11th December 2020 10am to 1:00pm

Video / Telephone conference

Attending:

• Professor Brian Bell
• Dr Jennifer Smith
• Madeleine Sumption
• Professor Jo Swaffield
• Professor Jackie Wahba
• Della McVay
• MAC Secretariat

Agenda item 1 – Welcome and introductions

1. Brian Bell opened the meeting and welcomed everyone to the video conference.

Agenda item 2 – Home Office, MAC Secretariat and MAC updates

2. Della McVay provided an update on Home Office business. The new immigration routes were launched on the 1st December as planned with minimal issues. The Home Office are also expecting an announcement on the seasonal worker pilot shortly and would like the MAC’s expertise on this going forward. The Home Office have put up advice on the options for commissioning the independent review of the social care sector, which ministers may want the MAC to be involved in.

3. Brian Bell added that the government has agreed to provide the report on the impact of ending free movement on social care within six months of royal assent, which would be May 2021. A potential option is for the MAC to be commissioned alongside social care experts in the private sector. Brian expects that there will be more clarity on the MAC’s involvement by the next meeting.

4. Toby Nutley provided an update on secretariat business. The Home Secretary has agreed to appoint Professor Jo Swaffield for another term. The process of recruiting to fill existing vacancies within the secretariat has begun. The MAC is still waiting approval from the Home Office to recruit staff in the devolved nations. The plan is to recruit three people, one in each of the devolved nations. Advertisements for these posts are expected to be live in the new year.

###Agenda item 3 – Annual Report

5. The secretariat thanked the committee for their comments and views on the annual report and outlined the final steps which needed to be completed before publication on the 15th December.

Agenda item 4 – Workplans for 2021

6. The secretariat outlined their priorities for 2021 and asked the committee for their views. The committee advised that there may be some overlap between priorities and that some may be better suited for the Annual Report rather than a standalone project. The secretariat agreed that the workplan will be revisited when there is more clarity on what commissions they will undertake in 2021.

Agenda item 5 – ICT scoping

7. The secretariat provided an update on their early research into Intra-Company Transfers and sought advice from the committee on what the core questions of the project should be. A detailed workplan for the commission is planned for January.

Agenda item 6 – SOC2020 review

8. The secretariat and the committee discussed whether the MAC is the most appropriate organisation to map SOC codes to RQF codes given that there is potentially wider usage outside of migration.

Agenda item 7 – SOL methodology review

9. The secretariat provided an early plan for the review of the SOL methodology. The committee and secretariat discussed how to consider COVID-19 and issues with the current methodology which should be prioritised.

Agenda item 8 – Update on employer research

10. The secretariat provided an update on the employer research, particularly which businesses they have interviewed so far. Further updates on this research will be provided at the next committee meeting.