Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 21 June (HL709), whether further funding for Operation Grange into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann was granted; if so, (1) how much, and (2) until when; whether any further review of the effectiveness of Operation Grange has been undertaken; and how much has been spent on it up until the end of October 2021.

The Home Office has agreed to provide up to £350,000 of Special Grant funding in respect of Operation Grange up to March 2022. The current total spend as of October 2021 rounds to £13.2 million.

The Home Office regularly liaises with the Operation Grange investigation team to assess progress and challenge the use of funds as necessary. I also refer the Lord to my response to HL1446 and HL1447 concerning the National Audit Office’s review of Operation Grange in 2019 which determined that its oversight and governance by the Home Office was effective and that the Operation was compliant with the principles of Managing Public Money.