Written questions by Smith.

How many and what proportion of people who were convicted for simple cannabis possession were also convicted for another offence by the category of that other offence in each of the last five years.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the total number of convictions for possession of cannabis on all-offence basis in the All-offence prosecutions and convictions data tool.A breakdown on how many offenders convicted for possession of cannabis were also convicted for another offence, and where an offender has been convicted of multiple counts of possession of cannabis at the same time, will count each individual conviction. Therefore, the information requested, on a defendant basis has been provided in Table 1 and Table 2.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made recent representations to his Azerbaijani counterpart on the detention of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu; and if he will take steps to secure his immediate release on humanitarian grounds.

Since Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu's arrest in July 2023, the UK has consistently advocated for the right to a fair legal process and appropriate medical access, including permission for temporary leave from Azerbaijan to receive specialist medical care abroad, if required. The UK has consistently called on the Azerbaijani Government to protect the human rights and freedoms of all its citizens, and we will continue to work to ensure Dr Ibadoghlu's rights are upheld.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of statements on the UK's role in the century of humiliation made by Chinese officials at celebrations at the Chinese Embassy of the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the People's Republic of China.

This Government will take a consistent, long term and strategic approach to managing the UK's relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests.We will carry out an audit of the UK's relationship with China as a bilateral and global actor, to improve our ability to understand and respond to the challenges and opportunities China poses.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department advised postponement of the visit to London of former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.

The UK's longstanding position on Taiwan has not changed. The UK does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan but a strong unofficial relationship based on deep and growing ties in a wide range of areas and underpinned by shared democratic values.There is a long history of visits between the UK and Taiwan, including many conducted independently of HMG.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 October 2024 to Question 5527 on China and Hong Kong: Diplomatic Service, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Hongkongers who (a) arrived in the UK under the BN(O) scheme and (b) will be naturalised as British citizens are recognised as British nationals by the (i) Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and (ii) Chinese government.

FCDO's Travel Advice for China explains that China does not recognise dual nationality and anyone born in China to a Chinese national parent would be considered by the Chinese authorities to be of Chinese nationality and treated as a Chinese citizen. This advice applies to all British citizens travelling to China including those naturalised under the BN(O) scheme.

If he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the report entitled Classification of the audit at SAIC-Volkswagen (Xinjiang) Automotive Ltd, published by Volkswagen in September 2024.

No company should have forced labour in its supply chains. This Government is committed to working with international partners and businesses to ensure global supply chains are free from human and labour rights abuses. The Government is reviewing how we can best tackle forced labour in supply chains.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will have discussions with his Chinese counterparts on the release of Jimmy Lai during his visit to China in October 2024.

I met with Sebastien Lai and Jimmy Lai’s international legal team on Tuesday 8 October in my capacity as Minister for the Indo-Pacific. The Foreign Secretary raised Jimmy Lai's case in his first meeting with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the ASEAN Summit on 26 July and his case remains a priority for this Government. We will continue to call on the Hong Kong authorities to end their politically motivated prosecution and immediately release Jimmy Lai. We will continue to press for consular access.

With reference to the report entitled Classification of the audit at SAIC-Volkswagen (Xinjiang) Automotive Ltd, published in September 2024, what steps the Government is taking to ensure products entering UK markets do not use forced labour in their supply chains; and if he will have discussions with counterparts in China on ensuring the accuracy of audits for the purposes of ensuring that products being sold in the UK do not use forced labour in their production.

No company should have forced labour in its supply chains. This Government is committed to working with international partners and businesses to ensure global supply chains are free from human and labour rights abuses. The Government is reviewing how we can best tackle forced labour in supply chains.The UK consistently raises human rights issues at the highest levels with the Chinese authorities. The Government’s overseas business risk guidance sets out the risks of operating in Xinjiang and urges UK companies to conduct appropriate due diligence and consider their corporate responsibilities when making business decisions.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2024 to Question 3938 on Ryan Cornelius, what discussions he had with his UAE counterpart on Ryan Cornelius during his visit to UAE on 5 September 2024.

The Foreign Secretary raised the importance of consular issues, although not this specific case, during his visit to the UAE on 5 September and first meeting with Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed. The Foreign Secretary and I fully appreciate the importance and urgency of Mr Cornelius' case, on which I have been briefed in detail by my officials. I look forward to meeting Mr Cornelius' family to discuss the detail of his case and HMG support going forward.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 September to Question 4582 on Whipps Cross Hospital, whether his Department has considered a request for the remaining funding for Whipps Cross Hospital.

£1.2 million has recently been released to Barts Health NHS Trust to support them in continuing the development of their Outline Business Case for the new Whipps Cross Hospital during the review into the New Hospital Programme (NHP). While the review is taking place, we are continuing to support all schemes within the NHP. Requests for funding during this time are being considered on an individual basis. The review will feed into the Spending Review process, where decisions on the outcome will be taken in the round and the Government will confirm the outcome of the review as part of that process.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an estimate of the number of British National (Overseas) visa holders in (a) Hong Kong and (b) China who do not have access to consular protection.

The FCDO and our embassies, high commissions and consulates worldwide provide consular assistance to British nationals abroad. This includes BN(O)s who, under the Memoranda to the Joint Declaration, are eligible for consular assistance in third countries, but not in Hong Kong, Macao or mainland China. It is not possible to give an exact figure of the number of BN(O)s who live in, or travel to, Hong Kong and China, as this information is not captured by the FCDO. There are an estimated 2.9 million people who retain BN(O) nationality.