§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report the guidance that he has given, following the Parliamentary Commissioner's report on Mr. John Preece; and what action he is taking to ensure that that guidance is followed in the long term and that it is consistently and persistently adhered to.
§ Mr. BrittanSpecific instructions to Home Office staff embodying the lessons to be learnt from this exceptional case, are being prepared, and I shall publish them in theOfficial Report shortly. Compliance with the instructions will be an essential and continuing responsibility of the management of the Departments concerned. In the criminal department there will be new arrangements to monitor the time taken to deal with requests for review of convictions.
Existing instructions prescribe the quality assurance system in the forensic science service. The controller of the service has emphasised to the service the need to pay special attention to the quality, accuracy and comprehensibility of forensic evidence in court cases; and she has ensured that case records are preserved and stored properly.