§ Mr. Cohenasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when it is proposed that DNA tests will be available for all seeking right of entry to Britain on the Indian subcontinent; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RentonDNA tests have been commercially available since 1 June from Cellmark Diagnostics. It is open to any person who commissions such as test to submit the results in support of his immigration application, if he so chooses. In addition, the Government are carrying out a trial using the technique in a small sample of cases, so that the general acceptability and feasibility of its use in immigration work can be assessed. The trial is expected to be completed before the end of the year.