§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the terms of reference for the 1988 Home Office review of fingerprint identification methods conducted by Mr. I. W. Evett and Mr. R. L. Williams; what progress has been made in implementing the conclusions of the review regarding(a) training, (b) certification testing, (c) performance testing, (d) file audits and (e) blind trials of fingerprint examiners and bureaux; if he will place the report in the Library; and what further studies have been commissioned by his Department. [48317]
§ Mr. MichaelThe terms of reference were to conduct a review of the requirement for a fingerprint identification to be based on at least 16 points of comparison before evidence may be given in court. The report was published in its entirety in Fingerprint Whorld and the Journal for Fingerprint Identification, and I am placing a copy of the latter in the Library. The Home Office has not commissioned any further studies on this matter.
With regard to the conclusions reached by the review, in 1994 the Association of Chief Police Officers undertook a broad examination of the standards of fingerprint evidence, and decided that such evidence should in future derive from the expertise of fingerprint officers, rather than the traditional numerical point standard for which there appears to be no legal basis. The changes will be underpinned by Quality Assurance, standards, inspection and a regime of competency testing—a move very much in line with the recommendations of the Evett and Williams report. The date set for implementation of the change in fingerprint evidence is 3 April 2000.