Written questions by Ribeiro-Addy.

What assessment she had made of the adequacy of Serco's performance; and if she will undertake a review of it's electronic tagging contract.

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.

What recent assessment she has made of the average time taken for Serco to tag (a) priority one critical offenders and (b) people classified as likely to offend.

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.

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.

To establish the number of people who were not tagged because the probation service held and provided an incorrect address to the EM provider would require a trawl through thousands of individual case records held on prison and probation systems. Such information could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost and is therefore not available.The probation service audit cases where an individual has not received a tag through a weekly data report. Where incorrect addresses are identified, through discussion with EMS they are rectified as soon as possible. Serco must make a minimum of two attempts to install a tag. If both visits result in a “no show” or if the address held by Serco is incorrect, Serco is required to send a non-compliance notification to the offender’s probation officer, who will then make a decision on what enforcement action is appropriate. This can include a return to court or custody if an offender has moved address without telling their probation officer or if they have breached their licence conditions.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the (a) recruitment and (b) vetting process for people employed to tag offenders.

During the procurement of the Field and Monitoring Service contract, all suppliers were required to provide details of their vetting, staff recruitment, training and retention processes and these were assessed as part of the evaluation process. As with all of our contracts, we have robust mechanisms in place to hold Serco to account, including provisions to address under-performance. We have set out that Serco must deliver robust training that they are continually reviewing it for areas of improvementThe contract outlines the ongoing requirements Serco staff must meet in terms of pre-employment checks, additional vetting and specific national security vetting clearance.There are 14 Key Performance Indicators within the Field and Monitoring Service contract held by Serco. Detailed information on the 14 Key Performance Indicators is available on Contracts Finders under Schedule 3 of the contract: Electronic Monitoring Field and Monitoring Service (FMS) - Contracts Finder.

What are the performance indicators agreed with Serco as part of the contract to provide electronic monitoring services.

During the procurement of the Field and Monitoring Service contract, all suppliers were required to provide details of their vetting, staff recruitment, training and retention processes and these were assessed as part of the evaluation process. As with all of our contracts, we have robust mechanisms in place to hold Serco to account, including provisions to address under-performance. We have set out that Serco must deliver robust training that they are continually reviewing it for areas of improvementThe contract outlines the ongoing requirements Serco staff must meet in terms of pre-employment checks, additional vetting and specific national security vetting clearance.There are 14 Key Performance Indicators within the Field and Monitoring Service contract held by Serco. Detailed information on the 14 Key Performance Indicators is available on Contracts Finders under Schedule 3 of the contract: Electronic Monitoring Field and Monitoring Service (FMS) - Contracts Finder.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of obligating developers to conduct (a) Type 2 surveys of internal compartmentation of common parts of medium-to-high rise multi-occupancy buildings and (b) in instances where those surveys reveal defects, additional Type 4 surveys within flats.

Developers who signed the Developer Remediation Contract are obligated to remediate or pay to remediate external and internal life-critical fire safety defects due to the original design and construction in relevant building. In doing so, those developers must obtain fire safety assessments demonstrating that they have complied with their contractual obligations. Those assessments may include Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (which must comply with PAS 9980) and other fire safety assessments (which must comply with relevant industry standards). The type of assessments needed will depend on the circumstances of the building. MHCLG regularly audits assessments obtained by developers to make sure that they comply with the contractual requirements. If an assessment is non-compliant, the developer is required to address this at its own expense.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help ensure that developers provide structural remediation works to ensure that buildings are safe for residents.

Building owners are responsible for managing building safety and performance issues in their building, including any structural issues. Under the Building Safety Act 2022, Principal Accountable Persons for higher risk buildings (buildings with 7 or more storeys, or which are 18m or more in height with 2+ residential units) are responsible for assessing, reviewing, and taking all reasonable steps to prevent structural risks identified in their building from materialising to keep residents safe.The Building Safety Act 2022 also protects qualifying leaseholders from unreasonable costs of remediating historical safety defects, including structural defects, and makes it possible for building owners to apply to recover some or all of the cost of remediation from the third parties who were responsible for relevant defects.In addition, developers who signed the developer remediation contract have committed to undertake or pay for an estimated £3.9 billion worth of remedial works to address life-critical fire safety defects arising from the design and construction of buildings 11 metres and over in height that they developed, or refurbished in England in the 30 years ending on 4 April 2022. We publish quarterly updates on the progress that developers are making. Any developer who fails to comply with their obligations faces significant consequences.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of councils offering private rented properties.

It is a matter for individual local authorities as to whether they wish to include private rented accommodation as part of their wider housing offer, including through Local Housing Companies.The government is committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and will support councils and housing associations to build their capacity to make a greater contribution to affordable housing supply.For an overview of our policies in this area, I refer the hon. Member to my response to Question UIN 41721 on 3 April 2025.

What information his Department holds on the most common reasons for cancelled NHS blood donation appointments in the last 12 months.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood donation in England.NHSBT does not collect the reasons for short notice, within two days of the appointment, or advanced, further ahead, cancellations either by the donor or by NHSBT. Cancellations can, for example, be due to issues with community venues or due to NHSBT needing to urgently prioritise appointments for donors from those blood groups needed most to meet hospital demand, therefore postponing donors from other blood groups.In the last 12 months, 109,808 appointments were cancelled at short notice, which is 5.2% of all appointments. 80,264 appointments were cancelled more than two days in advance, which is 3.8% of booked appointments.Donors may also be deferred during a donation session if they do not meet the eligibility criteria, in place to protect either the donor or recipient’s health. The most common reason for donor deferral is haemoglobin levels.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the blood donation eligibility requirements for recent travel.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood donation in England, and blood donor selection guidelines are prepared by the Joint United Kingdom (UK) Blood Transfusion and Tissue Transplantation Services Professional Advisory Committee (JPAC).The JPAC has a comprehensive process to review and assess reports of disease outbreaks from across the world. Assessment of a donor's travel history is an important means of reducing the risk of transfusion transmitted infections.For some infections, such as West Nile virus or malaria, it is possible to test the donation rather than defer the donors. But for other infections, NHSBT defers donors until they are past the incubation period. Currently, there are no further suitable validated tests that could be used for donation testing, although work is ongoing to evaluate potential new tests which may result in fewer deferrals.

What information his Department holds on the number of NHS blood donation appointments cancelled due to (a) low iron levels, (b) low haemoglobin and (c) travel to and from other countries.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood donation in England. NHSBT tests for haemoglobin levels rather than iron levels ahead of blood donation.Data for deferrals is currently held for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. In this period, 169,419 donations were deferred due to low haemoglobin levels, and 6,165 donations were deferred due to the donor’s recent travel to other countries where there is a risk of transmitting specific diseases to recipients via the blood donated.Information for donors on eligibility to donate, including on haemoglobin levels and donation after travel, is available at the following link:www.blood.co.uk

If she will hold discussions with British Airways on the frequency of flights between the UK and Ghana.

DfT officials hold regular discussions with airlines, airports and international partners, including Ghana, to facilitate global connectivity. Routes operated, the frequency and management of those routes, are commercial decisions made freely by airlines as an independent business. As these are commercial decisions, the DfT has not had any discussions with British Airways on the frequency of its UK-Ghana route. The recently updated UK- Ghana Air Services Agreement allows for additional direct flights to operate between the UK and Ghana to be operated by an interested and designated UK or Ghanaian airline.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to extradite British citizens potentially involved in the commission of war crimes in Gaza.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) does not hold specific information on British Nationals who have served with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). The UK recognises the right of British dual nationals to serve in the legitimately recognised armed forces of the country of their other nationality. The FCDO advises against all travel to Gaza. Israel travel advice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Allegations of war crimes should be submitted to the Met Police for investigation.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2024 to Question 13184 on Homicide: Aiding and Abetting, whether the Crown Prosecution Service has commenced the full national monitoring scheme.

I refer the Hon Member to my response to UINs 44005-44007 tabled on Friday 11 April 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that British citizens potentially involved in the commission of war crimes in Gaza are prosecuted in the UK.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) does not hold specific information on British Nationals who have served with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). The UK recognises the right of British dual nationals to serve in the legitimately recognised armed forces of the country of their other nationality. The FCDO advises against all travel to Gaza. Israel travel advice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Allegations of war crimes should be submitted to the Met Police for investigation.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports of British citizens participating alongside the Israel Defense Forces during Israel's military offensive in Gaza.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) does not hold specific information on British Nationals who have served with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). The UK recognises the right of British dual nationals to serve in the legitimately recognised armed forces of the country of their other nationality. The FCDO advises against all travel to Gaza. Israel travel advice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Allegations of war crimes should be submitted to the Met Police for investigation.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he made of the potential impact of the reduction in Official Development Assistance funding on programmes in Ghana in the 2025-26 financial year.

The UK remains committed to a modern development partnership with Ghana. Our development partnership has seen success in supporting the Government of Ghana to deliver smart reforms in good governance, revenue, economic transformation, forestry protection and improving public services. The impact on specific programmes is being worked through following the decision to reduce UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 0.5 per cent of GNI to 0.3 per cent in 2027. Whilst reducing ODA will inevitably have an impact, the UK will continue to play a globally significant role in development, and work with Ghana to support growth and poverty reduction.

What estimate she has made of the number of individuals who are wrongly flagged by CIFAS each year; and what steps she has taken to prevent such errors.

Services like CIFAS (Credit Information Fraud Avoidance Service) play a crucial role in safeguarding against financial fraud, supporting the government’s broader efforts to protect individuals and businesses from these crimes.CIFAS is a not-for-profit organisation that facilitates fraud prevention by providing a platform for financial institutions to share information about potential fraud risks. When a financial institution suspects fraudulent activity, they can register a "marker" against a customer's credit report on the National Fraud Database, which is managed by CIFAS. As stated on their website, the markers themselves are not created by CIFAS, but rather by the financial institutions who suspect fraud. CIFAS only provides the infrastructure for these markers to be registered and accessed by other members.Individuals affected by CIFAS markers have the right to challenge and seek removal of incorrect or unjustified markers. Individuals can do that by submitting a Data Subject Access Request (DSAR) to obtain details of the marker and can then contact the organisation that applied the marker to request evidence and removal if necessary. If the organisation denies the request, CIFAS provides an independent review within 14 days, with further options available through the Financial Ombudsman service.The Home Office has not assessed the number of individuals incorrectly flagged by CIFAS as it does not hold this information.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing Cifas under the regulatory remit of the Financial Conduct Authority.

The Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance Scheme (CIFAS) is the UK’s fraud prevention service. Services like CIFAS play a crucial role in safeguarding against financial fraud, supporting the Government’s broader efforts to protect individuals and businesses from these crimes. When a financial institution suspects fraudulent activity, they can register a "marker" against a customer's credit report on the National Fraud Database, which is managed by CIFAS. As stated on their website, the markers themselves are not created by CIFAS, but rather by the financial institutions who suspect fraud. CIFAS only provides the infrastructure for these markers to be registered and accessed by other members. We do not have plans to introduce statutory requirements for financial firms to notify people when a CIFAS marker has been assigned. If an individual believes that a CIFAS marker has been incorrectly assigned, they should first raise it with the organisation that recorded it to the CIFAS database for them to review. If they do not remove the marker then the individual can go directly to CIFAS. The individual can also apply to have a further review conducted by the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The Treasury has not assessed the potential merits of bringing CIFAS under the regulatory remit of the Financial Conduct Authority.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure the effectiveness of the (a) regulatory oversight and (b) accountability of Cifas.

The Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance Scheme (CIFAS) is the UK’s fraud prevention service. Services like CIFAS play a crucial role in safeguarding against financial fraud, supporting the Government’s broader efforts to protect individuals and businesses from these crimes. When a financial institution suspects fraudulent activity, they can register a "marker" against a customer's credit report on the National Fraud Database, which is managed by CIFAS. As stated on their website, the markers themselves are not created by CIFAS, but rather by the financial institutions who suspect fraud. CIFAS only provides the infrastructure for these markers to be registered and accessed by other members. We do not have plans to introduce statutory requirements for financial firms to notify people when a CIFAS marker has been assigned. If an individual believes that a CIFAS marker has been incorrectly assigned, they should first raise it with the organisation that recorded it to the CIFAS database for them to review. If they do not remove the marker then the individual can go directly to CIFAS. The individual can also apply to have a further review conducted by the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The Treasury has not assessed the potential merits of bringing CIFAS under the regulatory remit of the Financial Conduct Authority.