1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Justification Decision (Scientific Age Imaging) Regulations 2024 and come into force on the day after the day on which they are made.
(2) These Regulations extend to the United Kingdom.
2. In these Regulations—
“the scientific age imaging practice” means the class or type of practice which is the radiography of one or more of the third molar, the hand and the wrist of an age-disputed person;
“age-disputed person” has the meaning given by section 49(1) of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022(1).
3. For the purposes of regulation 14(1) of the 2004 Regulations, subject to regulations 4 and 5 of these Regulations, the scientific age imaging practice is justified.
4. In accordance with regulation 11 of the 2004 Regulations, the justification decision is subject to the condition that results from the scientific age imaging practice may only be used to determine, using a likelihood ratio approach, whether there is more support for the age which the age-disputed person has been assessed to be following an appropriate, fair and reasonable age assessment, or for the age which the age-disputed person claims to be.
5. The justification decision does not extend to the use of computed tomography for the purposes of assessing age.
Alex Chalk
Secretary of State for Justice
Ministry of Justice
8th January 2024