Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2023 to Question 188925, if she will make it her policy to publish data on (a) the proportion of negative conclusive grounds decisions upheld under the Multi-Agency Assurance Panels process and (b) the time taken to uphold a decision; and if he will make a statement.

Multi-Agency Assurance Panels (MAAPs) were introduced as a matter of policy in an advisory capacity as part of the NRM decision making process to review negative conclusive grounds decisions prior to decision service. Decision making responsibility remained with the competent authorities, who would consider the feedback given by MAAPs.

The competent authorities provided MAAPs with details of a case at least three working days ahead of the scheduled review, to allow MAAPs time to consider the case. Following the review MAAP Chairs were required to return feedback within two working days. MAAPs may have agreed with the decision of the competent authority, disagreed, or suggested that more information may be required. The competent authority would consider the MAAP feedback and what action, if any, was required, prior to issuing a final decision. The time taken for such action was dependent on the individual case and the nature of the feedback that had been given.

MAAPs were removed from the decision-making process in December 2022. Data on MAAPs was not published during their existence and there are no plans to publish that data going forward.