Lord Laird – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2014-06-04.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current membership and remit of the Migration Advisory Committee; on what criteria they appoint its members; and whether they have plans to review those criteria and its remit with a view to tasking the Committee with examining immigration and its impact in the round.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) is comprised of economists and migration experts who serve as a chair and committee members. They are appointed to support the remit of the Committee, which is to provide independent and evidence-based advice to the Government on migration issues. Professor Sir David Metcalf is the Chair and is supported by 4 members; Dr Martin Ruhs, Professor Jonathan Wadsworth, Dr Jennifer Smith and Professor Jackline Wahba.

Lesley Giles of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills and John Thompson, the Director of Immigration Policy in the Home Office, also sit on the Committee as ex-officio members.

The Chair and Committee members are public appointments made in line with guidance issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The current criteria for membership are:

Essential criteria

* Expertise in economics, preferably labour markets.
* Quantitative analytical skills.
* Strong written skills – experience of producing evidence based reports.
* Building effective working relationships with a wide range of groups.

Desirable criteria

* Ability to work as part of a team.
* Knowledge of non-UK migration data and policies.

There are no plans to change or review the remit or the criteria for
appointment to the MAC.