§ Sir Nicholas FairbairnTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what arrangements have been made for the results of blood tests, including those involving DNA profiling, to be available for use in the Scottish courts.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonQuestions have recently arisen in civil proceedings as to whether a court has power to order a person to submit to such tests or to draw an inference from a refusal to be tested. My noble and learned Friend, the Lord Advocate, has accordingly requested the Scottish Law Commission to consider questions arising from the provision of bodily samples of both civil and criminal cases and to report with their recommendations in the near future. I understand that the Commission intends to issue a discussion paper, with provisional proposals, on 8 December.