Recommendation 54

In 2019, the FCDO commissioned a review into the department’s handling of complex consular cases. The review was conducted by Dame Judith MacGregor and focused on how the department balances the needs of the individual with the needs of the bilateral relationship, and on the process by which families are informed of actions taken while sensitive details are protected.124 The review makes several important recommendations, including the establishment of a task force approach to properly handle the most sensitive cases and determine the parameters of Ministerial involvement.125 Despite being completed in June 2019, the review was not made public until it was deposited in the House of Commons Library in November. In his covering letter, Nigel Adams, the Minister of State for Asia, endorsed the review’s key findings and recommendations and noted that implementation was in progress.126