§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he has any plans to increase the level of funding of the Metropolitan police forensic science laboratory and for the Home Office laboratory at Aldermaston in the next financial year; and if he will make a statement;
325W(2) what is the current level of staffing at the Metropolitan police forensic science laboratory; and what was the level (a) five and (b) 10 years ago;
(3) what has been the number of individual cases handled annually by the Metropolitan police forensic science laboratory for each of the past five years.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe Commissioner has told me that the number of cases handled by the Metropolitan police forensic science laboratory in each of the last five years was as follows:
Number 1985 27,720 1986 32,406 1987 27,985 1988 19,040 1989 18,053 On 27 June 1990 the strength of the Metropolitan police forensic science laboratory was 288. On 31 December 1980 and 31 December 1985 the respective strengths were 271 and 251.
No decisions have yet been taken on the levels of funding for 1991–92 for either the Metropolitan police or the forensic science service.