Written questions by Ribeiro-Addy.

What steps she is taking to (a) understand and (b) mitigate the negative effects of night shift work on maternal health.

Reducing ill health at work is an important area of focus for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as outlined in their strategic objectives. One of the ways this is achieved is supporting employers to protect their workers’ health and keep them in the workforce. Having considered the impact of shift work on health and safety, HSE has published guidance for employers to support them in managing the risk (Managing shift work [HSG 256]).Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 all employers have a duty, so far as it is reasonably practicable, to protect the health, safety, and welfare at work of all their employees. Specifically, the The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to assess health and safety risks to employees and to put in place arrangements to control those risks. Therefore, if an employer assesses shift work as a risk they should introduce control measures including those outlined in the guidance.In addition, employers have a specific responsibility to complete an individual risk assessment for workers who are pregnant, are breastfeeding, or have given birth in the last 6 months. They must review the existing general risk management and controls for pregnant workers and new mothers and discuss any concerns they have about how their work could affect their pregnancy. Employers must also account of any medical recommendations provided by their doctor or midwife. The individual risk assessment should then be regularly reviewed.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of children entitled to citizenship and not registered.

We do not hold estimates on the number of children or adults who may be entitled to British citizenship and have not yet registered or applied for naturalisation.

What the administrative cost to her Department is for child citizenship application processing.

The Home Office publishes the fees charged and the estimated unit cost of processing immigration and nationality applications on GOV.UK. This can be reviewed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visa-fees-transparency-data.

Pursuant to the Answer of 1 May 2025 to Question 48518 on Blood: donors, if he will provide a breakdown of this data by gender.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood donation in England.  NHSBT collects donor’s sex as assigned at birth and their gender identity. A donor’s sex is recorded as the ways in which blood products are donated and processed differ between those assigned male and female at birth.The following table shows the number of deferrals due to low haemoglobin levels by those of African, Caribbean, mixed white and African, and mixed white and Caribbean heritage, broken down by biological sex at birth, from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, the latest data available:EthnicityNumber of female deferrals due to low haemoglobin levelsNumber of male deferrals due to low haemoglobin levelsBlack- African3293730Black- Caribbean1857567Mixed white and black African388104Mixed white and black Caribbean1053258

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that police efforts are adequately resourced to tackle wildlife crime.

The Home Office is providing £365,000 this financial year to fund the National Wildlife Crime Unit for intelligence, analysis and investigative assistance to forces and other law enforcement agencies across the UK to support them in investigating wildlife crime, which can affect rural areas.In addition, this financial year the Home Office will be providing the first funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit (NRCU). The funding boost of over £800,000 will help the units tackle those crimes that predominantly affect our rural communities.This will allow these specialist units to continue their work in tackling rural and wildlife crime which can pose unique challenges for policing given the scale and isolation of rural areas.In addition we continue to support and work closely with both specialist police Units. The National Police Chiefs’ Council Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy 2022-2025 provides a framework through which policing, and its partners can work together to tackle the most prevalent threats and emerging issues which predominantly affect rural communities.

Pursuant to the Answer of 1 May 2025 to Question 48519 on Blood: Donors, what percentage of female donors who had their donations deferred due to recent travel were white, in the last 12 months.

NHS Blood and Transplant is responsible for blood donation in England. From 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, the most recent data available, there were 3,193 deferred female donors due to travel, and 2,186 of which, or 68.5%, were white.

Pursuant to the Answer of 1 May 2025 to Question 48519 on Blood: Donors, what proportion of donors of (a) African heritage, (b) Caribbean heritage, (c) mixed white and African heritage, (d) mixed backgrounds and (e) white backgrounds had their donations deferred due to low haemoglobin levels in the last twelve months.

NHS Blood and Transplant is responsible for blood donation in England. From 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, the most recent data available, 23.93% of donors with black African heritage, 18.44% of donors of Black Caribbean heritage, 13.60% of donors of mixed white and black African heritage, 11.75% of donors of mixed backgrounds, and 9.38% of donors of white background had their donations deferred due to low haemoglobin levels.

Pursuant to the Answer of 1 May 2025 to Question 48519 on Blood: Donors, what proportion of donors of (a) African heritage, (b) Caribbean heritage, (c) mixed white and African heritage, (d) mixed backgrounds and (e) white backgrounds had their donations deferred due to recent travel in the last twelve months.

NHS Blood and Transplant is responsible for blood donation in England. From 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, the most recent data available, 3.87% of donors with black African heritage, 0.67% of donors of Black Caribbean heritage, 0.86% donors of mixed white and black African heritage, 0.53% of donors of mixed backgrounds, and 0.28% of donors of white backgrounds had their donations deferred due to travel.

Pursuant to the Answer of 1 May 2025 to Question 46823, on Electronic Tagging: Standards: what recent estimate she has made of the number of offenders not tagged as a result of the Probation Service holding an incorrect address for the offender in each of the last five years.

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Pursuant to the Answer of 1 May 2025 to Question 46825 on Electronic Tagging: Standards, how Serco has performed against the 14 key performance indicators at the most recent performance review.

Serco has failed to meet its target performance on 11 of 14 of its KPIs. The Department continues to hold Serco to account for its failings and will not hesitate to levy contractual penalties for underperformance.

When his Department plans to launch its consultation on the future of the Post Office.

We aim to publish a Green Paper later this year which will set out several proposals for discussion on the future direction of the Post Office. As part of this work, Government will be carefully considering what customers, communities and postmasters would like to see from a modern Post Office network.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2025 to Question 45856 on Blood: Donors, how many and what proportion of the donors deferred due to low haemoglobin levels were of (a) African, (b) Caribbean, (c) mixed white and African heritage and (d) mixed white and Caribbean heritage in the last 12 months.

NHS Blood and Transplant is responsible for blood donation in England. The following table shows the number and proportion of deferrals due to low haemoglobin levels by those of African, Caribbean, mixed white and African, and mixed white and Caribbean heritage, from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, the latest data available:EthnicityNumber of deferrals due to low haemoglobin levelsProportion of total deferrals due to low haemoglobin levelsBlack- African40232.37%Black- Caribbean24261.43%Mixed white and black African4920.29%Mixed white and black Caribbean13140.78%

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the closure of the Crown Post Office in Brixton on the community.

In order to create a long-term, sustainable future for post offices in communities across the UK, Post Office is moving to a fully franchised network. All 108 Directly Managed Branches (DMBs) – including Brixton Post Office – are in scope of these changes. Post Office intends to replace DMBs with Mains branches where possible (Mains branches offer similar services to DMBs). Where this is not possible, Post Office has committed to ensure that all communities currently served by a DMB will have at least one Mains branch within a 1-mile radius of the existing branch. Post Office will keep staff, customers and my honourable friend informed about changes to Brixton Post Office.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2025 to Question 45856 on Blood: Donors, how many and what proportion of the donors deferred due to the donor’s recent travel to other countries were of (a) African, (b) Caribbean, (c) mixed white and African heritage and (d) mixed white and Caribbean heritage.

NHS Blood and Transplant is responsible for blood donation in England. The following table shows the number and proportion of deferrals due to the donor’s recent travel to other countries for those of African, Caribbean, mixed white and African, and mixed white and Caribbean heritage, from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, the most recent data available:EthnicityNumber of deferrals due to donor’s recent travel to other countriesProportion of total deferrals due to donor’s recent travel to other countriesBlack- African65110.56%Black- Caribbean881.43%Mixed white and black African310.50%Mixed white and black Caribbean400.65%

Whether he made an assessment of the potential merits of encouraging blood marrow donation when a new blood donor registers online.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood donation services in England, and also manages the NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry, previously the British Bone Marrow Registry, which facilitates the donation of stem cells either via blood or bone marrow donation, used to treat forms of leukaemia and some other serious inherited conditions. In 2024/25 there were 27,945 NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry registrations, 23,108 of which were recruited via blood sessions.Eligible blood, plasma, and platelet donors aged between 17 to 40 years old are asked to join the NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry when they attend a donation session. Due to the need to take an additional blood sample for typing, registration takes place during the session. NHSBT emails new and returning donors who are eligible for stem cell donation ahead of their blood donation appointment to highlight the impact of stem cell donation and to encourage them to sign up to the stem cell registry when they attend. NHSBT also periodically contacts eligible new blood donors who have not yet attended a blood donation session, and lapsed blood donors, offering a buccal swab sample which can also be used for typing.To further encourage sign up, NHSBT uses stem cell champions on blood donation teams, which are nationally and specially trained event assistants that are present at sessions with high numbers of minority ethnic donors and young men. NHSBT is also looking at ways to capture a new donor’s intention to join the stem cell registry during their registration online by asking them to register an interest, which is then highlighted to staff on their donor record during donation.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of blood donor centres that are asking (a) new and (b) returning blood donors to sign up to donate bone marrow.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood donation services in England, and also manages the NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry, previously the British Bone Marrow Registry, which facilitates the donation of stem cells either via blood or bone marrow donation, used to treat forms of leukaemia and some other serious inherited conditions. In 2024/25 there were 27,945 NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry registrations, 23,108 of which were recruited via blood sessions.Eligible blood, plasma, and platelet donors aged between 17 to 40 years old are asked to join the NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry when they attend a donation session. Due to the need to take an additional blood sample for typing, registration takes place during the session. NHSBT emails new and returning donors who are eligible for stem cell donation ahead of their blood donation appointment to highlight the impact of stem cell donation and to encourage them to sign up to the stem cell registry when they attend. NHSBT also periodically contacts eligible new blood donors who have not yet attended a blood donation session, and lapsed blood donors, offering a buccal swab sample which can also be used for typing.To further encourage sign up, NHSBT uses stem cell champions on blood donation teams, which are nationally and specially trained event assistants that are present at sessions with high numbers of minority ethnic donors and young men. NHSBT is also looking at ways to capture a new donor’s intention to join the stem cell registry during their registration online by asking them to register an interest, which is then highlighted to staff on their donor record during donation.

Whether she plans to increase the (a) role and (b) resources of (i) the National Wildlife Crime Unit and (ii) Border Force to support the (A) protection of wildlife, (B) communities and (C) ecological recovery.

Wildlife crime can have devastating consequences for our natural environments and countryside communities. We are committed to reducing crime and anyone exploiting or deliberately harming British wildlife should face the full force of the law. Recognising the notable successes of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), we are providing funding this financial year (2025/26) of £450,000, an increase on previous years, ensuring this specialist policing unit can continue to help police forces and other law enforcement agencies across the UK to tackle wildlife crime, including disrupting serious and organised crime. The NWCU also supports cases referred by Border Force to the National Crime Agency or to individual forces and is the UK policing focal point for EUROPOL and INTERPOL wildlife crime activity. Border Force’s Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) officers are dedicated to preventing the importation and exportation of endangered animals and plants, as well as working in partnership with the legal trade and enforcement partners from across the UK to eradicate this ruthless and exploitative trade which has a devastating environmental impact. Additionally, all new Border Force officers receive mandatory training on CITES to aid the detection of illicit goods linked to the illegal wildlife trade.

How many prisoners released on home curfew were not tagged for the entirety of their monitoring period in the most recent period for which data is available.

The number of prisoners released on Home Detention Curfew (HDC) where a tag had not been fitted for the entirety of their monitoring period can be found in the attached at Annex A.All prisoners released on HDC are subject to a statutory electronically monitored curfew. The requested information is routinely published as part of the department’s Offender Management Statistics Quarterly publication. The most recent published data (covering the period October to December 2024) can be found in Table 3_Q_10 here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6807c23692d50839757a61b7/prison-releases-Oct-to-Dec-2024.ods.’

How many people released on licence were electronically tagged as part of a home detention curfew programme in the most recent period for which data is available.

The number of prisoners released on Home Detention Curfew (HDC) where a tag had not been fitted for the entirety of their monitoring period can be found in the attached at Annex A.All prisoners released on HDC are subject to a statutory electronically monitored curfew. The requested information is routinely published as part of the department’s Offender Management Statistics Quarterly publication. The most recent published data (covering the period October to December 2024) can be found in Table 3_Q_10 here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6807c23692d50839757a61b7/prison-releases-Oct-to-Dec-2024.ods.’

What steps her Department is taking to address the backlog in fitting offenders with electronic monitoring tags.

Serco’s performance has been unacceptable, and we will not hesitate to impose further penalties if our high-performance targets are not met and performance does not improve. There are regular meetings between the Minister for Prisons and Probation and the CEO of Serco to impress upon him the need for improvement.The contract contains strict time bound service levels within which all equipment installations for all electronic monitoring orders must take place. In addition, the small number of national security cases and those requiring more intensive monitoring plus Domestic Abuse Perpetrators on Licence and those with Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPO) are prioritised. Electronic monitoring orders are identified by order type and terms such as priority one critical offenders and people classified as likely to offend are not used.