Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 21 September (HL2204), what specific criteria within the Special Grant processes were applied to the most recent application for continued funding of Operation Grange; and what plans they have to publish (1) their analysis of these criteria, and (2) their reasons for approving the application.

In May 2011, the then Home Secretary commissioned the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to undertake an investigation into the disappearance of Madeline McCann. As this was a request from Government and not within the MPS’s normal duties, the Home Office agreed to fund the investigation though the Police Special Grant. Funding is approved annually, in line with normal Special Grant processes. The length of the investigation is an operational decision for MPS. The Home Office receives progress updates from the operational team.