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File minutes are used to record in writing all aspects of the consideration and decision making process in any individual case. A file minute will be written in ...
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Table of Contents
Introduction
The Purpose of File Minuting
General Principles
Effective File Minutes Equal Opportunities and Disclosure Minute Sheets
Planning a File Minute
Constructing a File Minute
Presentation of a File Minute
Unclear File Minutes
Examples of File Minutes
Telephone call Action/Instructions
This section provides advice about the purpose of file minutes and guidance concerning the way in which they should be written. For guidance concerning standard instructional minutes see Implementing Substantive Decisions. For guidance on preparing consideration minutes see Considering Asylum Claims. Guidance on docketing is contained in File Management.
Before any action is taken on a case file it is imperative that all minutes recorded on the case file are read through thoroughly. Doing this can prevent confusion and any problems arising.
Effective File Minutes Minutes should be clear, concise, informative, accurate and legible. To be effective a file minute should:
Equal Opportunities and Disclosure It is most important to note that the Immigration Rules require staff to exercise their duties without regard to a person’s race, colour or religion and that there is also a general duty to act fairly towards all claimants. Great care should be taken, when writing minutes, not to use terms that could be construed as denigrating or in any way implying that the officer is biased or prejudiced. It is also important to minute only substantiated opinion i.e. an opinion which is supported by evidence such as an APPU process instruction or a law (all of which should be quoted). Staff should always be aware that minute sheets may be brought into the public domain.
Minute Sheets File minutes should always be added in chronological order to the minute sheets attached to the left-hand side of the file with the uppermost minute sheet being the most recent. New minutes should be written immediately after the preceding minute and any gaps between minutes (e.g. between typed/standard and written minutes) should be crossed through to avoid further minutes being added out of chronological order. Where possible the use of a new minute sheet should be avoided until the previous sheet has been filled. However, when adding a printed minute sheet to preceding hand-written minute sheets with space remaining, the space should be clearly crossed out to indicate to other readers that no further minutes should be added.
File minutes are often brief and/or straightforward and do not need planning. However, a helpful way to plan a minute, when dealing with complex matters or unfamiliar aspects of the Rules, is to note the important points under headings such as:
Once the case has been analysed the minute itself can be written, drawing upon the factors emphasised in the plan.
Staff receiving a file with an unclear or illegible minute, in the first instance, should telephone the author of the minute for clarification and not immediately return the file to its original sender. This will prevent unnecessary delay and repetition of file movement. Once they have clarified the contents of the minute by telephone, staff should ensure that they record the results of the discussion in a further file minute.
If the author of the minute is anonymous, or the handwriting is completely illegible, it is advisable to check where the file came from using the file tracking system. This is to avoid unnecessary delay and repetition of file movement.
If contact cannot be made with the author of the minute, the file should be returned to the author requesting clarification and if the minute is illegible, request that it should be rewritten in block capitals.
Change Record
Version Authors Date Change Reference
1.0 DH 16/02/07 New web style implemented
