Written questions by Ribeiro-Addy.

What guidance her Department has issued to police departments on appropriate use of live facial recognition technology.

The Home Office has not issued guidance to police forces on the use of live facial recognition (LFR) but the government is responsible for the legal framework. The legal framework governing police use of facial recognition requires compliance with data protection, equalities, and human rights laws, national guidance, the Code of Practice for surveillance cameras, and is supplemented by specific policies published by individual forces.The College of Policing has produced national guidance, in the form of an Authorised Professional Practice (APP); this includes when the police can use LFR, the categories of people they can look for and how the data is processed.Although there is a legal framework in place, this is complicated, inflexible and difficult for the public and police to understand. That is why we will shortly be launching a consultation to support the development of a new legal framework for law enforcement use of biometrics, facial recognition and similar technologies.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress she has made on concluding the inter-departmental consultation process on the UK–Cuba Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement.

The UK-Cuba Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) was signed under the previous Government. We are currently undertaking a cross-Government consultation before it is laid before Parliament for scrutiny, while continuing to cooperate positively with Cuba in the interim where possible, including on climate. The PDCA will support discussion on issues of common interest and will include human rights as a standing agenda item. It also offers the potential to facilitate exchanges of expertise, including on economic reform and healthcare.

What assessment her Department has made of the impact of the real-terms freeze in the annual Cash ISA allowance on (a) pensioners and (b) other low-risk savers.

ISAs incentivise saving and investment by providing generous tax advantages to individual taxpayers. Individuals can save up to £20,000 into an Individual Savings Account (ISA) each year, and any savings income received within an ISA is tax free. In 2022/2023 the average Cash ISA subscription was £5,296. Along with the Personal Savings Allowance of up to £1,000 for basic rate taxpayers and £500 for higher rate taxpayers, and the Starting Rate for Savings, which allows for tax free savings income of up to £5,000 for those with earned income below £17,570, around 90 per cent of people with savings income pay no tax on that income.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on potential scientific exchange programmes with Cuba on (a) maternal health and (b) sickle cell disease.

The UK-Cuba Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) was signed under the previous Government. We are currently undertaking a cross-Government consultation before it is laid before Parliament for scrutiny, while continuing to cooperate positively with Cuba in the interim where possible, including on climate. The PDCA will support discussion on issues of common interest and will include human rights as a standing agenda item. It also offers the potential to facilitate exchanges of expertise, including on economic reform and healthcare.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential (a) economic and (b) diplomatic merits of ratifying the UK–Cuba Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement.

The UK-Cuba Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) was signed under the previous Government. We are currently undertaking a cross-Government consultation before it is laid before Parliament for scrutiny, while continuing to cooperate positively with Cuba in the interim where possible, including on climate. The PDCA will support discussion on issues of common interest and will include human rights as a standing agenda item. It also offers the potential to facilitate exchanges of expertise, including on economic reform and healthcare.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations to her US counterpart on the imposition of visa restrictions on officials of third countries who cooperate with Cuba in the provision of medical services.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 6 November to Question 87175.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the enhanced pre-donation testing process pilot on reducing the number of deferrals for low Hb levels.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood donation in England. NHSBT tests donors’ haemoglobin (Hb) to ensure they are at sufficient levels to safely donate.NHSBT has recently changed its testing to include the first line finger prick and blood drop test using copper sulphate that estimates donors’ Hb to be above the threshold for donation. If this test is failed, second line testing with venous HemoCue, a more accurate quantitative test, is carried out. If passed, a donor can donate. If failed, a donor is deferred to ensure they can replenish low iron stores to allow their Hb to improve back to safe donation thresholds.Earlier in 2025, the peak of low Hb deferrals was greater than 12%. With the rollout of venous HemoCue across the country, this has fallen to 4.5% of donors attending per week and has remained below 5% since 15 September 2025, resulting in improved collections.

What demographic data his Department considered when choosing blood donation centres to pilot the post donation testing for advanced Hb assessment.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood donation in England.  NHSBT’s post donation testing feasibility study will assess if an analyser-based blood count, including a haemoglobin (Hb) assessment, can be used to assess a whole blood donor’s ability to have a blood collection taken safely without the need for a Hb measurement at subsequent donation appointments. If the donor’s Hb is above specific thresholds, it will determine the need for testing at their next visit, or for a deferral period based on the Hb being too low to donate. This will start NHSBT’s ability to personalise the deferral period of donors with low Hb.This study started collecting baseline data in the London Middlesex mobile team and will roll out to the Manchester Norfolk House and Nottingham Donor Centres. These teams have been targeted to assess if testing is possible under current mobile and donor centre processes, rather than targeting specific donor groups or demographics.

Which blood donation centres have begun a trial of the Post Donation Testing for advanced Hb assessments.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood donation in England.  NHSBT’s post donation testing feasibility study will assess if an analyser-based blood count, including a haemoglobin (Hb) assessment, can be used to assess a whole blood donor’s ability to have a blood collection taken safely without the need for a Hb measurement at subsequent donation appointments. If the donor’s Hb is above specific thresholds, it will determine the need for testing at their next visit, or for a deferral period based on the Hb being too low to donate. This will start NHSBT’s ability to personalise the deferral period of donors with low Hb.This study started collecting baseline data in the London Middlesex mobile team and will roll out to the Manchester Norfolk House and Nottingham Donor Centres. These teams have been targeted to assess if testing is possible under current mobile and donor centre processes, rather than targeting specific donor groups or demographics.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support countries in determining their own healthcare partnerships without external interference.

The UK is committed to modern development partnerships in health - designed with the Global South - with countries and communities at the heart of decision making, shaping systems that reflect their priorities and realities - not imposing our own. Our support of the Lusaka Agenda emphasises a coordinated approach focused on country priorities and supported by increasing domestic spending on health. In our work on health system strengthening we support country-led strategies, which include a focus on primary health care, as a cost-effective and equitable approach, and one which reflects our own reforms in the UK.

Whether his Department plans to compensate providers for additional work created by the cyber security incident at the Legal Aid Agency.

We acknowledge and appreciate the constructive way that providers have worked with us following the serious criminal attack on the Legal Aid Agency’s (LAA) digital systems. They have continued to do vital work in challenging circumstances.Time spent on communication with the LAA on specific cases is generally claimable at hourly rates, subject to the provisions of the relevant Contract and the LAA’s published Cost Assessment Guidance.There is a pre-existing route for making claims for compensation, details of which are on gov.uk. We do not plan to put in place a separate compensation route specific to this incident. Providers will be paid for the work undertaken on legal aid cases in the relevant period.

With reference to Breast Cancer Awareness Month, what steps he is taking in November 2025 to promote inclusive (a) wig and (b) prosthetic services.

The Department and the National Health Service in England recognise that there are particular challenges for specific groups of people and for breast cancer care, particularly concerning the promotion of inclusive wigs and prosthetic services.For wigs and accessories, NHS Supply Chain has conducted extensive engagement nationally to fully understand the provision and supply and is working closely with industry groups to support access to the wigs framework, to provide a wider range of products for NHS providers to access. Appropriateness for the wearer has been one of the fundamental focus areas of consideration in this work.Decisions about the funding and provision of health services, including prosthetic services, are the responsibility of local integrated care boards. NHS England funded audits into primary and metastatic breast cancer to help identify and reduce inequalities and variations in care. Using routine data collected on patients diagnosed with breast cancer in an NHS setting, the audits bring together information to look at what is being done well, where it is being done well, and what needs to be done better. Findings were published in September 2025, and the NHS is acting on the findings.

What his planned timeline is for the implementation of the uplift of (a) housing and (b) immigration legal aid.

The Government announced in July this year that legal aid fees for housing and immigration legal aid will be uplifted.Following the criminal attack on the Legal Aid Agency’s digital systems, the Government’s priority has been to maintain access to justice through the rapid implementation of contingency measures and the restoration of critical systems.We remain fully committed to introducing the fee uplifts as soon as it is operationally feasible.

What steps she has taken to prevent the exploitation of workers on the Seasonal Worker visa in food supply chains following BBC’s File on 4 Abused for our Food investigation.

The Home Office undertakes extensive assurance action across the route, including significant numbers of boots on the ground visits, including interviews with randomly selected workers. Since March 2023, we have visited 387 farms and conducted 2560 interviews of both farm managers and workers.Defra’s Annual Seasonal Worker survey showed that the vast majority of respondents (94.2%) reported a positive experience from their time in the UK and 96.9% expressed a desire to return.Scheme Operators are required to have a clear employer transfer pathway in place as a condition of holding their sponsor licence, including transparent criteria for making a transfer request and a process for considering such requests. This is set out in published Home Office guidance, available at: Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors: sponsor a seasonal worker - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)We currently have five scheme operators for horticulture and poultry workers who are responsible for 43,000 employees. We carefully manage the allocation each operator receives to ensure that it is commensurate with their scale, capabilities and experience as a scheme operator. Allowing workers to move freely between operators is incompatible with this important safeguard as it could place individuals at greater risk of exploitation.If a significant issue was identified with an individual employer, a Scheme Operators will promptly relocate any workers placed with that employer to a more appropriate farm. This can be done immediately with no need to for further visa applications or any interruption to the workers immigration status. The gives workers a safety net which explicitly ensures that they are not tied to their employer.

Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to work with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to (a) improve awareness of cardiac risk among young athletes and (b) ensure sports clubs have access to (i) screening and (ii) defibrillator equipment.

Sport England, DCMS’s Arm's-Length Body for grassroots sport, is helping increase awareness of cardiac risk among young athletes in the community sports sector, including signposting to information about screening, through Buddle, its online site for clubs and community organisations. They can also provide funding to community sports clubs for Automated External Defibrillators through their Movement Fund. I will continue to work with ministerial colleagues at the Department for Health and Social Care on these issues.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to implement the recommendations on council tax in the consultation entitled Modernising and improving the administration of council tax, published on 20 June 2025.

We are currently considering all responses to the consultation. The Government will publish its response to the consultation in due course.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of a limited access to suitable (a) prosthetics and (b) wigs on ethnic minority patients; and what steps he is taking to improve access.

The current NHS Supply Chain Wigs Framework Agreement was awarded to 42 suppliers and provides a range of wigs, both real and synthetic, and headwear products to provide alternative choices to patients, as well as maintenance, styling, alteration, and repair services.Whilst there is availability of Afro Caribbean wigs through the currently awarded suppliers, NHS Supply Chain is aware that due to the regionality of suppliers and the nature of them being predominantly micro and small to medium enterprises in many instances, patient choice and access across the United Kingdom can be subject to regional variation.NHS Supply Chain acknowledges that there is a need to develop the framework offering to support an increase in accessibility to patients for Afro Caribbean products and services, and NHS Supply Chain is preparing to introduce enhanced specifications and a specific category for Afro Caribbean for the successor framework agreement due to launch on 1 February 2027.NHS Supply Chain’s new Prosthetics, Components and Associated products Framework Agreement is due to launch on 24 November 2025, to replace the current Artificial Limbs framework. The new framework will offer over 95,000 products delivered by 12 suppliers to provide clinical choice to meet patient need. Ensuring that a patient has a prosthetic limb which blends with their actual skin tone is part of the routine standard of care. NHS Supply Chain works closely with the leading national charities and has not had any issues raised concerning accessing appropriate skin tone.

What discussions he has had with NHS England to ensure the procurement of suitable (a) prosthetics and (b) wigs suitable for ethnic minority patients meets diverse patient needs.

The current NHS Supply Chain Wigs Framework Agreement was awarded to 42 suppliers and provides a range of wigs, both real and synthetic, and headwear products to provide alternative choices to patients, as well as maintenance, styling, alteration, and repair services.Whilst there is availability of Afro Caribbean wigs through the currently awarded suppliers, NHS Supply Chain is aware that due to the regionality of suppliers and the nature of them being predominantly micro and small to medium enterprises in many instances, patient choice and access across the United Kingdom can be subject to regional variation.NHS Supply Chain acknowledges that there is a need to develop the framework offering to support an increase in accessibility to patients for Afro Caribbean products and services, and NHS Supply Chain is preparing to introduce enhanced specifications and a specific category for Afro Caribbean for the successor framework agreement due to launch on 1 February 2027.NHS Supply Chain’s new Prosthetics, Components and Associated products Framework Agreement is due to launch on 24 November 2025, to replace the current Artificial Limbs framework. The new framework will offer over 95,000 products delivered by 12 suppliers to provide clinical choice to meet patient need. Ensuring that a patient has a prosthetic limb which blends with their actual skin tone is part of the routine standard of care. NHS Supply Chain works closely with the leading national charities and has not had any issues raised concerning accessing appropriate skin tone.

What protections are currently in place for police whistle-blowers reporting misconduct within their own force.

Police officers and staff have protections under ‘whistleblowing’ law, meaning they are protected from being unfairly dismissed or from suffering any detriment due to having made a protected disclosure. The Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020 expressly reflect this.Further, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which is a prescribed body to whom police whistleblowers can make protected disclosures, runs a dedicated reporting line for police officers and staff.The College of Policing’s Code of Practice for Ethical Policing puts a duty on Chief Officers to facilitate and protect whistleblowers. Many police forces provide a confidential, internal reporting system to encourage reporting of concerns.Part 2 of the Angiolini Inquiry is considering a range of cultural issues in policing, including whistleblowing processes, and the Government will consider any recommendations it makes carefully.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing an independent National Police Misconduct Body to (a) collect and (b) publish data on police misconduct findings.

The British tradition of policing by consent relies on mutual bonds of trust between the public and the police, and where police officers fall below the high standards the public rightly expects of them, it is crucial they are held to account.Since 2015, there has been a presumption that all police misconduct hearings are made public, bar in exceptional circumstances. There is a statutory requirement for forces to publish the outcomes of misconduct hearings, unless preventing disclosure is considered necessary (e.g. in the interests of national security), for a period of at least 28 days. Members of the public can access published police misconduct outcomes via the website of the relevant police force.There are processes in place for the collection and publication of police misconduct data. The Home Office publishes data on the number of police officers subject to misconduct investigations, including breakdowns by outcome and misconduct finding level, as part of the annual Police Misconduct, England and Wales statistical series, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-misconduct-statisticsOfficers and staff moving from one force to another must obtain a new vetting clearance from the force they are transferring to before they are confirmed. In accordance with the College of Policing’s vetting authorised professional practice (APP), the parent force’s professional standards department (PSD) must provide a full complaint and misconduct history and any counter corruption intelligence relating to the officer concerned to the receiving force.In addition, the Police Barred List prevents those dismissed for gross misconduct and gross incompetence from re-joining policing. Forces must check whether a proposed employee or appointee is on the barred list before hiring them.