The Independent Advisory Group on Country Information (IAGCI) is part of the Office of the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration. Its purpose is to review the content of all Country of Origin Information (COI) produced by the UK Home Office. Country of Origin Information is used in procedures that assess claims of individuals for refugee status or other forms of international and humanitarian protection. It is also used in policy formulation.

The IAGCI reviews products to provide assurance to the Independent Chief Inspector that the content is as accurate, balanced, impartial and as up to date as possible. COI is contained in:

CPINs are generated on an ongoing basis for the top 20 asylum intake countries, and commonly address a specific type of common asylum claim(s) or provide general information for several claim types. They are compiled from material produced by a range of recognised external information sources (news sources, academic literature, independent research reports, fact finding reports from UK government or from other governments, etc.). These documents also contain Home Office policy on the recommended position to be taken with respect to various types of claims, based on the available and accepted country information.

Information Request (IR) responses are made directly by case workers or others to the Home Office. These relate to information that is not covered in the CPINs. The IAGCI includes in its reviews a consideration of the COI included in a sample of (not more than ten) IR responses. Each IR response is typically a maximum of 2 pages in length.

Tender Details

IAGCI commissions country experts or experienced researchers to evaluate and report upon the country of origin information contained in UK Home Office information products. At its next meeting, the IAGCI requires a country expert to review the use of country information used in the following CPINs (4 separate tenders, 1 for each country):

Tender 1: Burma

Country policy and information note: Rohingya, Burma, November 2017 (50 Pages)

Country policy and guidance: critics of the government, Burma, March 2017 (38 Pages)

Tender 2: Iraq

Country Policy and Information Note: internal relocation, civil documentation and returns, Iraq, September 2018 (58 pages)

Country Policy and Information Note: Perceived collaborators, Iraq, January 2018 (16 pages)

Tender 3: Pakistan

Country Policy and Information Note: Pakistan: Background information, including actors of protection, and internal relocation, June 2017 (40 Pages)

Country Policy and Information Note: Pakistan: Land Disputes, January 2017 (16 pages)

Tender 4: Zimbabwe

Country Policy and Information Note: Sexual orientation and gender identity, Zimbabwe, May 2018 (35 Pages)

Country Policy and Information Note: Opposition to the Government, Zimbabwe, April 2018 (45 pages)

For each tender, the expert is also asked to consider a selection of approximately 10 Information Request Responses, which will be provided by the Chair of IAGCI, and are an average of 2 pages long.

Description of work

Country Policy and Information Notes aim to provide an accurate, balanced and up to date summary of the key available source documents regarding the human rights situation, with respect to the issues selected for coverage, in the country covered. The purpose and scope of the reports are clearly set out in an introductory section of the document. Reviewers should evaluate the reports in this context and seek to identify any areas where they can be improved. Specifically the review should entail:

• assessing the extent to which information from source documents has been appropriately and accurately reflected in the CPIN Reports
• identifying additional sources detailing the current human rights situation in the country with respect to main grounds for asylum claims (which are noted in each CPIN Report)
• noting and correcting any specific errors or omissions of fact
• making recommendations for general improvements regarding, for example, the structure of the report, its coverage or its overall approach

Reviewers should follow these specific guidelines:

• the review should focus exclusively on the country of origin information contained within the document, and not pass judgment on the policy guidance provided
• the CPIN should be reviewed in the context of its purpose as set out above. It should consider the situation in the country up to the stated ‘cut off’ date for inclusion of information
• when suggesting amendments, rather than ‘tracking changes’ on the original CPIN, a list of suggested changes should be provided as part of a stand-alone review paper, and each report should be reviewed separately. A reporting template will be provided to reviewers (for reference please refer to most recent reviews on the IAGCI webpage for examples of the template)
• any suggestions for additional information (or corrections to information in the document) must be referenced to a source document for the Home Office to be able to use it (preferably Open Source). The Home Office may use foreign language source documents, but only if the information is considered essential and is not available in English language source

Previous reviews of COI products can be viewed on the ICIBI website

The selected reviewers will be requested to attend an IAGCI meeting at the Office of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration in London, when their review will be considered. This meeting is due to take place in November 2018. Alternative arrangements may be made, if attendance is not possible. Representatives from the UK Home Office will also attend the meeting to provide responses to comments and recommendations made in the review.

Reviews commissioned by IAGCI may be used as source documents for future CPIN reports or other Home Office information products.

How to Apply

Researchers interested in conducting any of the reviews should submit:

• a one page letter demonstrating their expertise in human rights and/or asylum issues pertaining to the particular country or countries
• their c.v.

Payment for this work will be set at £2000. Expressions of interest should be submitted to the IAGCI Chair, Dr Laura Hammond laura.hammond@soas.ac.uk

Unfortunately, we are only able to accept expressions of interest from individuals and not from institutions or consultancy groups.

Successful bids will be notified by 3 October 2018. Final reviews will be due by the close of Wednesday 3 November 2018 and will be discussed at the IAGCI meeting later in November 2018 (precise date to be confirmed).

The activity was just one of many taking place across the country this year for the Year of Engineering, an HM Government campaign showing young people that engineering can be an exciting and rewarding career.

Students and apprentices (15 to18 years) involved in the Manchester-based Blair Project’s ‘ProtoEV innovation challenge’ have had 8 months to convert used petrol-driven go-karts into fully-electric high-powered ‘e-karts’.

It is skills such as these that the government will seek to harness as part of its Industrial Strategy mission to put the UK at the forefront of the design and manufacturing of zero emission vehicles; making all new cars and vans effectively emission-free by 2040.

The karts on display today (12 September 2018) at Millbrook Proving Ground, one of Europe’s leading test tracks for automotive research and development, demonstrate the technical skill of the competitors and the immense value of this vocational hands-on approach in inspiring future engineers.

Once the karts are built teams then compete against each other to see who has created both the fastest and most energy-efficient vehicle.

The ProtoEV competition was recently approved by the Motorsports Association as a motor club in its own right, which means a new development series will go ahead this autumn with full blown championship racing by 2020.

Through working with inspirational partners like the Blair Project, the Year of Engineering aims to give young people across the UK a million direct and inspiring experiences during 2018, transforming traditional perceptions of engineering as a career.

Jesse Norman, Transport Minister, said:

This is an exciting time for automotive engineering; one that has the potential to revolutionise the industry.

The Year of Engineering is focussed on inspiring the next generation of engineers to take on these bold challenges.

Through converting old go-karts into these new electric vehicles, the young people of the Blair Project have demonstrated just the kinds of skills that will be needed if the UK is to lead the world in zero emissions technologies.

Blair Project CEO Nile Henry said:

There is a serious shortage of young people going into engineering in the UK. We are trying to plug that gap by providing a project-based learning activity that gives young people the hands-on, practical experience and life skills that employers want.

Pensions have suddenly become interesting, with savings now the topic of conversation. There is most definitely a pensions revolution taking hold. And this can only come about as record numbers of people feel empowered to save, businesses feel confident to support their employees to save, and government assists this to happen through the automatic enrolment scheme.

Statistics published this week revealed more people than ever before are saving into a workplace pension. Membership of occupational schemes reached a record high of 41.1 million in 2017 – up a staggering 49% in just 5 years.

The transformation is even starker when you look at the numbers paying in to a private sector pension, with active members of pension schemes soaring to a high of 8.8 million in 2017. 81% of eligible workers were participating in a workplace pension last year, up from a low of 42% 6 years ago.

The people behind the remarkable statistics are the young, lower earners, and women. Record low youth unemployment has shown that not only are thousands more young people moving into work, but they are thinking ahead to their future too. In 2017, around 8 in 10 of eligible 22 to 29 year olds in the private sector were enrolled into a workplace pension; that figure was a meagre 24% in 2012.

The proportion of private sector workers earning between £10,000 and £20,000 who are participating in a workplace pension has risen from 2 in 10 prior to automatic enrolment to more than 7 in 10 in 2017. And private sector pension participation amongst women has doubled, reaching four out of five eligible female employees – something we’ve achieved in parallel with a record increase in female employment.

These groups, who were previously putting away little or nothing for their futures, are now embracing automatic enrolment.

Our reforms have allowed for planned, gradual, increases in contribution rates, which starting modestly, have already gone up to five per cent, and will rise again to 8 per cent from April next year. This phased approach is the right one if we want to bring about long-lasting behavioural change which breathes new life into the nation’s retirement prospects.

With unemployment at a record low, millions more people are moving into work – 1,000 people a day since 2010. And these figures show that once they’ve got a job, they are putting money aside for their futures.

Our reforms are supporting people to make these changes, showing we are returning to a society of savers where individuals are in control of their own money.

The Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission, made up of representatives of the bereaved, survivors and local residents, will decide on the most fitting and appropriate way to remember those who lost their lives in the Grenfell tragedy.

The community-led Commission will develop a proposal for what happens to the Grenfell Tower site in the future, and decide how the memorial site will be owned and managed in the long term.

Adel Chaoui of Grenfell United said:

Creating a fitting memorial on the Grenfell tower site is a momentous task. For bereaved families it is the final resting place of the loved ones that we lost in the fire. For the survivors, Grenfell tower was our home, where we were brought up and raised our families. And for our community it is a part of our shared history.

We have faith that bereaved families and survivors, working together with the local community will be able to create a fitting memorial to remember the lives lost, ensure what happened is never forgotten and be something this community can hold in their hearts for generations to come.

The Secretary of State for Communities, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, said:

The government has always been committed to working with the community to create a fitting memorial, with the Prime Minister giving her personal commitment that the bereaved, survivors and community will decide what happens to the future of the Grenfell Tower site.

This is an important step forward in honouring that commitment and it is only right that the community determine the most appropriate way of honouring those who lost their lives.

The Minister for Grenfell Victims, Rt Hon Nick Hurd MP, said:

One of the things we must get right is a fitting memorial at the site of the Grenfell disaster. This must be led by the community with the voice of the bereaved carrying the most weight.

I am very grateful to the community representatives who I have worked closely with to reach agreement on the role of the Commission

The Commission will comprise of 10 community representatives, with 5 from the bereaved families, and will seek the views of the local North Kensington community through its consultations. Over the coming months the community will be asked to nominate their representatives and an independent Chairperson will be confirmed.

You can read the full Terms of Reference for the Commission.

The Commission will have no executive authority and will operate in accordance with the Terms of Reference.

Administrative support to the Commission will be provided by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Further developments on this will be announced in the autumn.

Please see the government’s written principles governing consultations on the future of the site, agreed with the community, for further information.

A new centre for research to develop a new generation of medicines that will transform the lives of people living with diabetes opened in Oxford today (12 September 2018).

Greg Clark, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, attended the opening of the Novo Nordisk Research Centre, along with Danish Science Minister Tommy Ahlers.

The number of people with diabetes is expected to increase in the next 2 decades from 3.9 million people in 2017, to 4.9 million in 2035, according to Public Health England statistics. The centre will collaborate with the University of Oxford using its scientific excellence to conduct new research, including on:

• new medicines to treat diabetes
• understanding the relationship between insulin resistance and other health conditions
• analysing complex data to earlier detect type 2 diabetes

Novo Nordisk will invest around £115 million over a period of 10 years and the new centre will mean up to 100 research jobs in the coming years.

Business Secretary Greg Clark said:

This centre has the potential to transform the way diabetes is treated in the future and improve the lives of people around the world. Our universities and research institutes are world beating and this international investment in the UK is a vote of confidence in both the talent we have and the quality of research and products our scientists develop.

This is our modern Industrial Strategy in action as we strive towards more public and private research and development investment to upgrade our economy and build a Britain fit for the future.

Professor Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, CSO and EVP at Novo Nordisk, said:

I am very excited to see the strategic alliance between Novo Nordisk and the University of Oxford flourish and set the bar for international collaborative cutting edge scientific research to spearhead collaboration on new treatment for people with type 2 diabetes and other serious chronic diseases.

In the modern Industrial Strategy the government has set the ambitious target to reach 2.4% of gross domestic product investment in research and development by 2027. In December 2017, the Life Sciences Sector Deal was announced to maintain the UK’s place as a world leader in developing innovative research into future treatments and pioneering medicines.