§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes his Department plans which will affect the forensic science laboratory in Chepstow; and if he will make a statement. [19933]
§ Mr. MacleanResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Chief Executive of the Forensic Science Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Janet Thompson to Mr. Alun Michael, dated 12 March 1996:
You recently tabled a Parliamentary Question about the future of the Forensic Science Service (FSS) laboratory at Chepstow. As you know, the arrangement now is that the Chief Executive of an Executive Agency, with the agreement of the Minister, replies to Members of Parliament on operational matters. I am therefore replying on behalf of the FSS.540WThe FSS announced on 29 February that, as part of a national restructuring programme, it was looking at proposals to close three laboratories. These are first the laboratory at Aldermaston and subsequently, depending on the success of the earlier restructuring, those at Huntingdon and Chepstow. The proposals are subject to staff consultation. They were announced at this early stage to allow staff to be fully involved in their development. They are also subject to consultation with the police, both nationally and with individual Chief Constables, in particular on the development of a new national network of local forensic offices to bring forensic science closer to the investigator.It may be helpful if I briefly explain the background to the proposals. As you may be aware, on 1 April 1996, the FSS is to merge with the Metropolitan Police Forensic Science Laboratory to form a new integrated national Forensic Science Service providing an improved and streamlined resource throughout England and Wales.Joint research conducted by the FSS with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), together with regular FSS Customer Satisfaction surveys, have identified that substantial improvements could be achieved by the creation of a new national service, organised in national business areas. This would combine centralisation of scientific analysis to reduce cost and improve asset utilisation, with the development of a number of local forensic outlets to bring the service closer to its customers. We propose therefore, to concentrate scientific analytical resources at four key sites in London, Birmingham, Chorley and Wetherby. In addition to these four sites, there will be a network of new small forensic offices and satellite laboratories across the country. This will enable the FSS to provide a wide range of scientific support that will be geographically much more closely linked to the operational centres of the various county constabularies and metropolitan forces. The FSS is working with the Association of Chief Police Officers in developing the restructuring proposals to ensure that the changes support their forensic requirements.As I explained earlier, the proposed closures are provisional at this stage. Moreover for all three laboratories, there is a guarantee that jobs will be available for all existing scientific caseworking staff. There will be some reductions in support staff at each site, but these will be small. The proposed restructuring will involve no diminution of service. Indeed the aim is to provide a better one. The increasing success of forensic science in the detection of crime and the conviction of offenders means that as a resource it must be made as easily available to the greatest number of police in the most cost effective way possible.