Written questions by Ribeiro-Addy.

Whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of collaboration between UK and Cuban research institutions on (a) public health and (b) genetic medicine.

In our ever more interconnected world, international research cooperation is fundamental to driving medical breakthroughs and saving lives. By sharing knowledge, resources, and expertise, international collaborations can overcome limitations faced by individual nations and achieve breakthroughs that benefit patients all over the world.Whilst no assessment has been undertaken on the specific merits of research collaboration with Cuba, through the Department funded National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Department works internationally to fund, support, and enable high impact research to address national and global health challenges.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of supporting a formal bilateral exchange of medical expertise between Cuba and the United Kingdom to promote health equity.

In our ever more interconnected world, international cooperation is fundamental to driving medical breakthroughs and saving lives. By sharing knowledge, resources, and expertise, international collaborations can overcome limitations faced by individual nations and achieve breakthroughs that benefit patients all over the world.The Government remains steadfast in its commitment to international collaboration on health and highly values the bilateral relationship between the United Kingdom and Cuba. The Government has a longstanding policy of engagement with Cuba, including positive collaboration in areas of mutual interest.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of steps taken by the US to discourage third countries from engaging with (a) the Henry Reeve Medical Brigade and (b) other Cuban international medical cooperation programmes on health outcomes in Cuba.

The UK continues to support access to essential health services, alongside transparency and ethical labour standards, and there is no reason those objectives should not be compatible.

How many companies have a licence to grow cannabis in the UK.

There are currently 102 licences in extant to cultivate low THC cannabis (Industrial Hemp) in Great Britain. The majority of these licences will be issued to farms. A small proportion of these licences will be issued to educational or research institutes.The licences are generally issued for a validity period of three growing seasons and therefore will include licences issued in 2023, 2024 and 2025.Standard ‘cannabis cultivation licences’ may be issued for research or pharmaceutical purposes.In the last year (to 11 November 2025) 16 companies have been issued ‘High THC’ cannabis cultivation licences at a total of 19 sites. A proportion of these licences will have been issued for research purposes.

How many legal cannabis farms there are in the UK.

There are currently 102 licences in extant to cultivate low THC cannabis (Industrial Hemp) in Great Britain. The majority of these licences will be issued to farms. A small proportion of these licences will be issued to educational or research institutes.The licences are generally issued for a validity period of three growing seasons and therefore will include licences issued in 2023, 2024 and 2025.Standard ‘cannabis cultivation licences’ may be issued for research or pharmaceutical purposes.In the last year (to 11 November 2025) 16 companies have been issued ‘High THC’ cannabis cultivation licences at a total of 19 sites. A proportion of these licences will have been issued for research purposes.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of international cooperation in healthcare.

In our ever more interconnected world, international cooperation is fundamental to driving medical breakthroughs and saving lives. Health challenges such as pandemics, antimicrobial resistance and climate-related impacts do not respect borders. By sharing knowledge, resources, and expertise, international cooperation can overcome limitations faced by individual nations and achieve breakthroughs that benefit patients all over the world, including the United Kingdom.The Government is committed to collaborating with our international partners and continues to engage with global health institutions, including the World Health Organization. These efforts help build resilient health systems worldwide, reduce preventable deaths and safeguard against shared threats, while supporting UK prosperity through trade and investment in health and life sciences.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what is the planned timetable for the ratification of 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 potential impact of the household income threshold for childcare support on (a) labour market participation and (b) associated reductions in local economic activity.

The Government is committed to providing access to affordable childcare to support parents’ who want to go out to work, and their local economies. This includes rollout of 30 funded hours for working parents from September 2025, which the OBR has estimated would lead to 60,000 more people in employment and 1.5m people increasing their hours. The income threshold for childcare eligibility ensures that support is targeted towards the families who most need it, and that the system remains fair and sustainable.

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.

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.