Transparency data

Migration Advisory Committee minutes, 17 September 2021

Updated 5 July 2022

143rd meeting of the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC)

Friday 17th September 2021 10am to 12:30pm

Video / Telephone Conference

Attending:

• Professor Brian Bell

• Professor Dina Kiwan

• Professor Jo Swaffield

• Madeleine Sumption

• Professor Sergi Pardos-Prado

• Della McVay

• MAC Secretariat

Agenda item 1 – Welcome and introductions

1. Brian Bell opened the meeting and welcomed new members of the secretariat who introduced themselves.

Agenda item 2 – Home Office (HO), MAC Secretariat and MAC updates

2. Della McVay provided an update on HO business, including the reshuffle, immigration rules updates, developments on trade agreements, and work relating to Afghanistan, including future goals for the settlement scheme. Della McVay also discussed recent news items on labour shortages and the governments aims for addressing long term structural issues.

3. Toby Nutley provided update on staffing within the secretariat and for committee appointments. Good progress is being made on the ICT commission, with publication due in October. In the social care commission, the call for evidence is live, the expert panel have been appointed, and stakeholder engagement is underway. Work is also underway for this year’s annual report.

4. Brian Bell provided an updated to the meeting on meetings he had recently had with ministers in England and Scotland to discuss social care.

Agenda item 3 – ICT report draft

5. The secretariat provided an overview on the ICT commission and outlined timescales for publication. The committee discussed the recommendations, and suggestions minor amendments. The committee will shortly receive a final draft for further comments.

Agenda item 4 – ICT user research report from Revealing Reality

6. The secretariat provided an update on the ICT user research report from Revealing Reality, with committee members and the secretariat encouraged to provide final comments. The report will be published, but with the caveat that the report is written by Revealing Reality, and not the MAC. The committee also discussed the lessons learnt from the research project, and how this may work for future commissions, including the availability of interview transcripts.

Agenda item 5 – Social care stakeholder engagement update

7. The secretariat updated the meeting on the main themes emerging from recent stakeholder engagement with social care bodies in England and Scotland, and the Cavendish Coalition. The team outlined plans for future events with organisations across the devolved nations.

Agenda item 6 – Social care research plans

8. The secretariat updated the meeting with the qualitative research plans for the social care commission. These have also been presented to the expert panel, who have provided further suggestions on the methodology, topic coverage and sampling.

Agenda item 7 – Annual report 2021 plans

9. The secretariat updated the meeting on the plans for this year’s annual report. This is due to be published on 15 December. This will include an update on how the social care commission is progressing, and other projects the MAC have been working on. The secretariat agreed to provide a skeleton outline of the report at the October committee meeting.

Agenda item 8 – AOB

10. Brian Bell wished good luck to those leaving the MAC and closed the meeting.