§ Mr. CarringtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress he has made in appointing a person, under section 10(3AA) of the Asylum and Immigration Appeal Act 1993, to monitor refusals of entry clearance where there is no right of appeal by virtue of section 10(3A) of the Act; and in what manner the person appointed will discharge his or her functions.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydI have appointed Elizabeth Anson to be the first independent monitor. Lady Anson has been appointed for a period of three years; she took up her duties with effect from 1 December and will make her first report before 30 November 1994, which I will lay before Parliament.
The monitor will look at a random sample of refusals of entry clearance where there is no statutory right of appeal as a result of the 1993 Act. She will consider whether the standards required by legislation or administrative practice, by which decisions are reached, are being applied correctly and fairly. During the early part of each year, she will visit a number of posts to assist her understanding of practice and procedure at overseas posts.
483WThe review will be undertaken in London and will encompass all entry clearance posts. The sample will be drawn randomly and posts will not know in advance which cases have been chosen for review.
It is not intended that the review should become an alternative appeals system; nor will it be a procedure for applicants or sponsors to seek to have their decisions reviewed in individual cases. The monitor will have no powers to overturn decisions. It will be a further check on the standards which are being applied to decisions in entry clearance posts.